Bluelines continued to spill blood on the nationalcapital’s roads with seven persons, including five women, being mowed down by an overspeeding bus in South Delhi on Sunday, triggering protests by angry onlookers, who indulged in stone pelting and tried to torch the vehicle.

The incident took place near Ali village on the Delhi-Agra Highway at around 10.15 am, when the driver of the bus plying between Badarpur and Minto Road lost control and ran over the people crossing a road.

“Five women and a child died on the spot, while another person succumbed to injuries at a hospital,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anil Shukla told media persons in Delhi.

Nine injured persons, including the driver of the bus, who was beaten up by angry locals, have been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Apollo Hospitals, where doctors said their conditions were stable.

Soon after the incident, a large number of locals gathered at the spot, blocked traffic, pelted stones at vehicles and even tried to torch the bus, forcing police to lob several rounds of tear gas shells and used batons to quell the mob.

Some people were injured in the violence, a senior police official said.

“The traffic on the highway has been resumed after some time,” Shukla said.

“Though the situation is a little bit of tense, it is fully under control. We have deployed adequate number of security personnel at the spot,” Shukla added.

The driver of the bus was arrested, police said.

With this accident, the number of people who died in accidents involving blueline buses in recent past has gone upto 93.

A Delhi government spokesman said that permit of the bus involved in the accident has been cancelled.

The police has been asked to register criminal cases against the owner and driver of the vehicle.

Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf said compensation of Rs one lakh would be given to the kin of each victim and free treatment would be provided to all injured.


Probe ordered
Yousuf said a probe into the accident has also been ordered, report of which would be submitted within two days.

The Delhi government had recently ordered a crackdown on the blueline buses after they were frequently involved in accidents claiming a number of lives.

On Saturday, two people were killed in an accident involving a blueline bus.