Deadly Kurnool Bus Fire: How Fraudulent Driver and Intoxicated Biker Created a Perfect Storm for Tragedy

The bus driver Miriyala Lakshmaiah has been arrested, and the biker Shiva Shankar is deceased.

Hyderabad:

A devastating bus fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool, claiming 20 lives, resulted from a chain of serious safety violations: a bus driver operating with a fraudulently obtained license, an intoxicated motorcyclist making fatal decisions, and a travel company disregarding safety regulations during bus renovations.

Authorities have arrested Miriyala Lakshmaiah, the double-decker bus driver. Investigators discovered Lakshmaiah, with only a fifth-grade education, secured his heavy vehicle license using counterfeit Class 10 credentials. Transportation regulations mandate drivers possess minimum eighth-grade education, though these requirements are frequently circumvented through falsified documents.

How Kurnool Tragedy Occurred

On Friday night, a motorcycle accident occurred near Chinna Tekuru in Kurnool when a two-wheeler veered off-road and struck a divider. The rider, Shiva Shankar, perished in the crash while his passenger, Erri Swami, sustained injuries. After Erri moved Shiva's body and realized he had died, a bus ran over the abandoned motorcycle before he could clear it from the roadway. The motorcycle became lodged beneath the bus, and eventually its fuel tank exploded, apparently from friction, engulfing the double-decker bus in flames. Nineteen passengers perished in the fire, while others escaped through an emergency window.

Biker Was Drunk: Police

Koya Praveen, Deputy Inspector General of Police for Kurnool range, confirmed forensic evidence showing both motorcyclists—Shankar and Swami—were intoxicated. Swami acknowledged consuming alcohol at a dhaba earlier that evening. Police reports indicate they departed around 2 AM, with Shiva intending to transport Swami home. Security footage from a petrol station they visited shows Shankar operating the motorcycle recklessly.

Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar characterized intoxicated drivers as "terrorists" and described the incident as "not a road mishap but a criminal act of negligence." He stated on social platform X: "Drunk drivers are terrorists and their actions are nothing short of acts of terror on our roads. The horrific Kurnool bus accident, which claimed the lives of 20 innocent people, was not an accident in the truest sense. It was a preventable massacre, caused by the reckless and irresponsible behavior of an intoxicated biker." Sajjanar emphasized that Hyderabad police would demonstrate "no mercy" toward intoxicated drivers.

Why Bus Driver Is At Fault

According to Kurnool police chief Vikrant Patil's statement to NDTV, two buses successfully avoided Shiva's motorcycle on the highway before this luxury bus struck it. While the intoxicated motorcyclist bears responsibility for the initial crash, the negligence case against the bus driver remains active because he failed to detect a stationary obstacle in the roadway.

Investigators are thoroughly examining the travel company that owns the bus. Several critical violations contributed to the high fatality count: unauthorized conversion to a sleeper coach, suspicious re-registration practices bypassing safety inspections, and survivor testimonies confirming the absence of emergency equipment like window-breaking hammers.

Rules Flouted, Passengers Travel At Own Risk

The Kurnool tragedy serves as another sobering reminder of how road safety protocols are routinely disregarded, endangering passengers. Obtaining licenses without proper testing remains alarmingly prevalent in India. As demonstrated in this case, educational credentials are falsified to provide licenses to unqualified individuals.

Intoxicated driving continues as a major contributor to road accidents and fatalities. According to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways data, 2023 recorded 2,690 road accidents attributable to drunk driving, resulting in 1,442 deaths. Despite ongoing awareness campaigns, authorities have failed to effectively address this persistent danger.