Thirty passengers escape after bus falls into ditch, catches fire
Bengaluru (PTI): Thirty passengers had a narrow escape on Friday when a private sleeper bus they were travelling in allegedly veered off the road, fell into a ditch and later caught fire on the outskirts of the city, police said.
The incident occurred near Nelamangala on the Bengaluru-Tumakuru highway, they said.
According to police, the accident was allegedly caused due to the driver's negligence, with the bus first hitting an electric pole before plunging into a ditch.
A suspected short-circuit is said to have triggered the fire. Soon after the accident, all the passengers managed to get out of the bus on their own before the flames spread, a senior police officer said.
However, it is yet to be ascertained whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel, leading to the vehicle hitting the electric pole. The exact cause of the accident is part of the ongoing investigation, he said.
"The Nelamangala traffic police and fire personnel rushed to the spot and doused the blaze. However, the bus was completely gutted," he added.
A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, police said.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
