Kolkata: Bus driver had no valid licence

KOLKATA: The Fatal Squad of Kolkata Traffic Police (FSTP) has found that the ‘driver’ involved in the Sealdah flyover fatal accident had no valid licence of his own. The accident took place in the late hours of Dashami, killing three persons and seriously injuring three others of the same extended family from Kidderpore.
There is also a possibility that the man arrested for being behind the wheels that night — Arman Khan alias Bablu Khan — might have been just a helper who was asked to fill in for a regular driver who was on leave that night. Khan, though, has denied all claims.
TOI had earlier highlighted the complicated ownership issues involved with the bus — the vehicle plying on route 46 and 46B had changed hands during the lockdown and the original owner had sold it off to a driver. It was this new owner who had handed over the bus to Arman, said cops and some other bus operators operating on this route.
The development has now led Lalbazar to ask the owner to come down and explain the ownership status. The cops have also approached RTO to know if Arman really has a licence of his own. “It is highly likely that he was using the licence issued to another person to drive the bus,” said a police source. Cops, however, claimed that it was too early to comment until the probe was completed.
The top brass has now asked the FSTP cops to ensure that all efforts are made to ensure that the victims – including those recuperating from the accident – receive their insurance claims at the earliest. “We are completing all formalities, including paperwork, from our side,” said an officer.
“We are issuing notices to bus owners having several pending traffic prosecutions,” said DC (Traffic) Sunil Yadav. The bus involved in this accident had merely eight pending cases against it as against an average of 100-150 pending cases per bus.