In response to the grim aftermath of a bus fire that claimed 20 lives in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. S. Sajjanar has issued a powerful statement, declaring ‘drunk drivers are terrorists.’ He vowed that individuals endangering others through intoxicated driving will face the full severity of the law, with no exceptions.
Sajjanar’s urgent message came after a private sleeper bus, en route from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, crashed into a motorcycle. The motorcyclist, believed to be under the influence and having just been involved in another incident, was killed along with 19 passengers aboard the bus. The Commissioner explicitly stated that the biker’s intoxication was the direct cause of the fatal collision.
He characterized such irresponsible actions as ‘acts of terror on our roads’ and a ‘criminal act of negligence.’ Sajjanar stated on X that the Kurnool bus accident was a ‘preventable massacre’ caused by the reckless behavior of an intoxicated rider, and not a true accident. He described it as a criminal act of negligence that annihilated entire families in an instant.
Analysis of CCTV footage showed the motorcyclist, Shiva Shankar, at a petrol station shortly before the fatal crash. The commissioner highlighted how the driver’s decision to drive drunk turned a moment of recklessness into a tragedy of immense scale. Sajjanar reiterated that drunk drivers shatter lives, families, and futures, and that Hyderabad Police maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy. He emphasized that all caught driving while intoxicated will face the full force of the law, calling drink-driving a serious crime, not a mere mistake.
A case has been registered against Shiva Shankar for reckless driving. The pillion passenger survived with minor injuries, and reports confirm both individuals had consumed alcohol prior to the journey. The investigation into the bus fire suggests that exploding lithium-ion batteries from a large shipment of smartphones significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze. The initial impact with the motorcycle is believed to have caused a fuel leak, which ignited upon contact with sparks, initiating the devastating inferno. The bus driver and his assistant are in custody, facing charges of negligence and overspeeding.