Jammu bus accident: 6 transport department officials suspended
Jammu and Kashmir were suspended for alleged dereliction of duty on Friday, a day after 22 people were killed and 64 injured in a bus accident in Jammu district. The tragic incident occurred on Thursday, when the bus carrying 86 devotees from Haryana's Kurukshetra and heading towards the Shiv Khori shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district skidded off the Jammu-Poonch highway and plunged into a 150-foot gorge. The driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a blind curve at the Tungi morh in the Chowki Chora area.
Transport department Secretary Niraj Kumar ordered the suspensions and a probe after a high-level meeting was chaired by Principal Secretary of the Home department Chandraker Bharti.
«Pending enquiry into the conduct and dereliction of duties, officials posted in the Regional Transport Office in Kathua (Lakhanpur) are placed under suspension with immediate effect and are attached in the office of Transport Commissioner, Jammu,» Kumar said in an order.
The suspended officials are Ranjeev Bhasin (motor vehicle inspector), Sumit Magotra (junior assistant) and multi-tasking staff (MTS) members Ashwani Kumar, Aman Kumar, Keshav Singh and Rakesh Kumar.
An inquiry into the conduct and performance of the suspended officials will be led by Additional Secretary (Technical) Paramvir Singh, who will submit a report with recommendations within a week, Kumar said.
The officials have been attached to the transport commissioner's office in Jammu, pending the outcome of the enquiry.
The Jammu district
