Six years after a bus crash in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, the driver has been sentenced to 190 years of prison. 22 were killed in that crash, 10 years each on 19 counts says the court order. This is the first time that any driver has got such a prison sentence.
Driver Shamshuddin,47, was accused of rash driving and culpable homicide. The bus owner, Gyandendra Pandey was charged as well with 10 years of imprisonment as informed by the Assistant Public Prosecutor Officer Kapil Vyas. This incident took place on 4th of May in 2015. The bus was carrying 65 passengers when it fell into a dry canal near Madla Hill and caught fire killing 22 and injuring the rest of the passengers. After the investigation was carried out it was found that the emergency exit was blocked by iron rods and one more seat was added in its place which resulted into passengers being trapped and burnt beyond recognition. It was revealed that despite repeated requests from the passengers to slow down the driver continued to drive recklessly.
Both the driver and the bus owner were booked under IPC Sections 304(A) Death Due To Negligence, 304 Culpable Homicide, 279 and 337 both for rash driving and the Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act. After the investigation the trials were started in the Court of Special Judge R P Sonkar. The order that 19, 10 year sentences will run separately, was delivered on Friday.
