KOZHIKODE: That the police slap a milder section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of IPC, a bailable offence, on drivers even when they are involved in accidental deaths due to rash driving has given credence to the widespread suspicion that there exists a nexus between the officials and bus operators in Kozhikode.
An inquiry by Deccan Chronicle has revealed that 55 people were killed in 134 accident cases involving private buses in 2015-16 but the police has booked drivers under Section 304 in 130 cases. The stronger IPC 304 A, a non-bailable offence under which an erring driver can be sentenced for life imprisonment, was invoked only in four cases. The police let the drivers go even without registering a case in 84 incidents.
The issue came to light now with the death of Aloysius James, 21, from Kozhikode, who was mowed down by a private bus at Athannikal, near here.
“Inadequacies in traffic-rule enforcement and the hangover of the once notorious police-bus owner nexus are spelling doom for road-users in the city,” said B.
Anil Kumar, a resident. Buses race with one another to enter the hub, causing accidents. “But they always blame the small vehicle users on road,” he said, adding buses knocking down pedestrians are a regular scene in Kozhikode city these days.
Kozhikode city south traffic assistant commissioner A.K. Babu said the competition among private bus operators for a larger share of the commuting public often results in violation of timings and routes. “Rash driving by a section of bus drivers is endangering the safety of road users,” he conceded, adding the department has many a time warned them against it.
The police is yet to draw a conclusion on the death of Aloysius since the accident occurred after a verbal clash between the victim and the bus employees, he said.
It may be recalled that a 48-years old pedestrian was mowed down by a private bus in Cheruvannur in Kozhikode in December 2015, in which the bus driver was charged under the section 304 A. The case of Aloysius was the first case in the year that was charged with section 304, out of the pressure from the public, who staged a protest on Wednesday with the body of the victim seeking justice.
