Seven persons from E Champaran among 20 killed in UP Bus accident

Satish Aditya

Motihari : Seven passengers of East Champaran District in North Bihar were among the 20 passengers killed in a Bus accident near Firozabad on Agra-Lucknow Expreesway in Uttar Pradesh (WP) on February 12, 2020, night. Five passengers from the district were seriously injured in the accident.

The Bus named ‘Namaste –Bihar’  was returning to Sheohar via Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran District in North Bihar, from Delhi. The owner of the double decker private bus is a resident Motihari. The accident was caused due to collision between the Bus and a truck. The bus caught fire after the collision. 

SP, East Champaran, Nawin Chandra Jha, told this scribe that  five passengers from the district travelling by the bus were   killed in the accident as per his information. But, according to information reaching here from District Hospital, Saifai, in Etawah district, UP, seven passengers from East Champaran were killed while four persons sustained serious injuries. The family members  of the deceased confirmed  the news from Saifai Hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Gulshan Kumar of village Govindganj, Driver  of the Bus; Mohd Kalauddin of village  Fenehara, driver; Mohd. Seraz, Cleaner of Fenehara; Mohd Zafarullah of village Gawandari; Anil Sah of village Dostiya; Chandan Mahto of village Mahamada; and Rakesh Jaiswal of  Chhoradano  Bazar. Of the 7 deceased, three were crew of the bus while the rest 4 were passengers, all small shop-keepers from the district.

Mohd Kalauddin, Driver, and Mohd Seraz , Clener of the bus,  belong to Fenehara village. Their parent fainted after receiving the news about death of their sons who were lone earners in their respective family.  Chandan Mahato, 22,  of village Mahamada, had got married in January 2020 only and had gone to Delhi on February 10, 2020, for  buying some electronic  items for his shop. Mukhtar Mahto  and Lalpari Devi , Father and Mother  of Chandan, were wailing while the other villagers were also in tears.

The family members of deceased left  Motihari for  Saifai  Hospital, where  post-mortem were performed, to collect the bodies. One Ajit Kumar Sharma, talking to this scribe on phone from Saifai hospital,  said  7 passengers from East Champaran were killed in the accident. Sharma  reached there as he is family friend of  Chandan Mahto of Mahamada.

Aaround  80  double decker  private buses  are being run from  Raxaul, Motihari, Areraj , Chakiya, Kotawa, Dhaka, Kundawa Chainpur, Chhoradano, Madhuban,  Kesariya,  Ghorasahan, and  Sugauli  to Delhi daily, according to Motihari Bus Stand sources . All these  buses  have their counters at Motihari  to book passengers and are plying  on  tourist permit of one week   or without  permit.