6 transport officials from Kathua suspended after 22 killed in Akhnoor road accident | Latest news from India

JAMMU: A day after an Uttar Pradesh bus crashed in which 22 people were killed, the Jammu and Kashmir Transport Department on Friday suspended six officials, including a motor vehicle inspector from Kathua district, the gateway to Jammu district.

With the government’s order suspending the six officials, Paramvir Singh, deputy secretary (technical) in the Road Safety Council Secretariat, has also been appointed to investigate allegations of dereliction of duty by the six officials in connection with the fatal accident.

The order issued by Transport Minister Niraj Kumar on Friday did not elaborate on the reasons for the investigation against the six officials.

It is unclear whether the investigation will include reports that the bus that veered off the Jammu-Poonch highway and rolled down a ravine on Thursday was overcrowded, which may have contributed to the accident. Locals and survivors said the bus plunged into the ravine while trying to negotiate a sharp bend.

In addition to the 22 fatalities, 69 other people were injured in the accident.

The suspended transport department officials include Motor Vehicle Inspector Ranjeev Bhasin, Junior Assistant Sumit Magotra and four multitasking officers Ashwani Kumar, Aman Kumar, Keshav Singh and Rakesh Kumar.

The bus was on its way to the Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi district when the accident occurred.

Jammu District Commissioner Sachin Kumar Vaishya has also ordered a judicial inquiry into the accident. “DM @justcsachin today ordered a judicial inquiry into the cause of the tragic accident near Akhnoor. ADM Jammu will submit a report within 7 days,” Vaishya wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter. Other officials have also been directed to provide necessary assistance.