Jaipur/New Delhi: Two people were killed and 21 injured when a speeding private bus spun out of control and overturned near Jhandewalan Temple in central Delhi early Wednesday. The bus first hit the boundary wall of a park, ramming an electric pole before overturning. Two fire service vehicles rushed to the site to extract those trapped inside the vehicle. The bus, plying between Jaipur and Delhi, was on the last leg of its journey. Police suspect the driver may have dozed off or driving at high speed. He is injured as well and will be questioned upon discharge. The deceased were identified as Mahesh Kumar (23) and Shehbaj Alam (30), residents of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.The incident was reported around 1am on Wednesday, when police on patrol reached the scene and began rescuing passengers from a sleeper tourist bus that had overturned near Hanuman Mandir, Chambery, injuring several people. “The Rajasthan-registered tourist sleeper, with a capacity of around 70, was traveling from Jaipur to Fatehpuri, Sadar Bazar, Delhi, with about 30 passengers on board. Some had deboarded earlier, leaving 23 when the bus overturned,” police said.A passing JCB was used to lift the bus and rescue those trapped. All 23 injured passengers were taken to hospitals: 12 to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (two later died), 10 critical to Ganga Ram Hospital, and one to Lady Hardinge Medical College. The emergency exit was cut open by rescue cutters to ensure no one was trapped inside.The driver, Pankaj Kumar (26), was detained and is receiving medical treatment. A case has been registered at Karol Bagh police station.At the site, the bus had demolished an electric pole and damaged the park’s boundary wall, showing the force of the impact. While some claimed it had hit another pole, police denied this. Murari Lal, a 60-year-old rickshaw puller who sleeps nearby, said the pole saved his life, as the bus came dangerously close. The area has at least four schools nearby.
