Akhnoor accident: Six Jammu and Kashmir Transport Department officials suspended

Six officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Transport Department were suspended on Friday, a day after 22 passengers were killed and 57 others injured in a bus accident in Jammu’s Akhnoor district.

The suspension came amid reports of dereliction of duty and the entry of an overcrowded bus into the Union Territory (UT).

An official said those suspended included six officials, including a motor vehicle inspector and a junior assistant at Lakhanpur check post.

“They have been assigned to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner pending the completion of the dereliction of duty investigation,” officials said.

The authorities have launched an inquiry into the Akhnoor accident and will submit their report within seven days. Paramvir Singh, deputy secretary of state, is investigating the allegations.

At least 22 passengers lost their lives on Thursday when a bus from Uttar Pradesh skidded into a deep ravine near Tungi Morh in Jammu’s Akhnoor area. The bus was on its way to the Shiv Khori Yatra in Reasi district of Jammu’s state of Jammu.