Bus owner arrested over Kurnool road accident that killed 19, granted bail

Kumar was booked under Sections 105 and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, along with multiple MV Act violations, the police said.

Hyderabad: Nearly two weeks after the Kurnool bus tragedy that claimed 19 lives, V Kaveri Travels owner Vemuri Vinod Kumar was arrested on Friday morning. Kurnool police apprehended Vinod and produced him before a local court. While the police sought for judicial remand, the Kurnool special mobile court judge after listening to the arguments granted bail to Vinod with a self bond.

Named as the second accused (A2) in the FIR, Vinod's arrest follows that of the sleeper bus driver M Laksmaiah, who had been taken into custody earlier. The AC sleeper bus caught fire in the early hours of October 24 on the Kurnool highway after dragging a motorcycle.

Preliminary investigations by multiple agencies revealed serious violations, including the illegal modification of the bus from a seater to a sleeper configuration and the absence of proper emergency exits.

Police said the Road Transport Authority (RTA), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the Fire Department had submitted their preliminary reports into the incident.

A native of Prakasam district, Vinod comes from a family long engaged in the travel business. After parting ways with a former partner a few years ago, he established Vemuri Kaveri Travels, popularly known as V Kaveri Travels.

Initial inspection by the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Authority has revealed that V Kaveri Travels flouted nearly all safety norms mandated for AC sleeper buses.

Sources in the state RTA indicated that the Scania-made AC bus likely did not receive approval for conversion into a sleeper coach. While initially registered as a 43-seater, it had been modified to accommodate 42 berths, both upper and lower.

Under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), AC sleeper buses must adhere to strict safety guidelines detailed in the Automotive Industry Standards (AIS), primarily AIS 119 and AIS 153. These norms regulate vehicle construction, fire safety, emergency exits, and interior material use.

Every sleeper coach must be fitted with a Fire Detection and Suppression System (FDSS) compliant with AIS 135:2016, designed to detect and automatically suppress fires in the passenger area. The V Kaveri bus was found to lack this system.

Materials used in bus construction, including upholstery, curtains, cushions, and pillows, must be fire-retardant as per IS 15061:2002 standards. However, the materials in this bus were reportedly highly inflammable.

For sleeper coaches up to 12 meters in length, at least four emergency exits are mandated, including one door and two roof hatches. Larger buses require a minimum of five exits, and every berth must be equipped with a hammer to break windows during emergencies. Very few hammers were found inside the gutted bus. All these crucial safety measures, officials said, were blatantly ignored.