Five charred to death as bus catches fire in Chitradurga
CHITRADURGA: Five people were burnt alive after a bus they were traveling caught fire on the highway in the early hours of Wednesday, August 12.
The incident took place when the bus was plying from Vijayapura to Bengaluru.
The private bus was said to be carrying 32 passengers when it caught fire on National Highway 4 at KR Halli in Hiriyur taluk of the district. Among the dead are two children and a woman.
The deceased have been identified as Sheela (33), Sparsh (08), Samruddhi (05), Kavita (29) and Nishchita (03). All the deceased are said to be members of same family.
The bus is said to have caught fire after it developed some engine trouble. Hiriyur SP Radhika visited the site of the accident. The injured have been shifted to a district government hospital.
According to reports, Bengaluru bound private bus, 'Kukkeshree' caught fire at around 4:30 am. The eyewitness say that the bus was engulfed in flames. Several of them began rushing out to save their lives. Some nine persons are said to be injured who are being admitted in different hospitals of Chitradurga district.
The bodies were kept in morgue of District Government Hospital Chitradurga.
Hiriyur Police have registered an case in this regard and further investigations are on.
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Vande Bharat passenger finds live worms in packaged curd; vendor fined, contract terminated
New Delhi (PTI): The Railways has terminated the contract of a vendor after a passenger found worms in a packaged curd served to him on the Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the company.
The Railway Ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on its own company, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), for not handling the matter properly.
On March 15, a group of seven passengers on board the Vande Bharat train were served packaged curd of a known brand along with dinner. Upon opening one of the packets, they found live worms and insects inside. The passenger, Ritesh Singh, immediately flagged the issue on his X handle, tagging the IRCTC, the Railway Minister and others.
In its incident-cum-action taken report, IRCTC found that the curd packet was picked up from Patna, with a manufacturing date of March 9, 2026 and an expiry date of April 7, 2026.
The report stated that the officials apologised to the passengers and served them dry fruit mixtures and some sweet treats.
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"We tried to explain the situation to them in every possible manner and requested them to verify the matter at the spot. However, they refused to delete the tweet and expressed their intention that the video should go viral and trend,” the report said.
According to the report, the vendor, Krishna Enterprises, was fined Rs 25,000 and warned for negligence in food handling. The firm was also instructed to maintain a proper cold chain, be more vigilant and adhere to food safety protocols.
Dissatisfied with the IRCTC’s action, the Railway Ministry on Wednesday directed it to terminate the contract of Krishna Enterprises and enhance the fine from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50 lakh.
The ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC.
"Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services so as to prevent any such incident in future," the Ministry said in its order.
"All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns," it added.
The ministry also posted the matter on its X handle, stating, "The complaint regarding food quality raised by a passenger in train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on 15 March, 2026 has been taken seriously.”
“Action taken - IRCTC has been penalised Rs 10 lakh, the service provider has been penalised with Rs 50 lakh, and has been ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priority,” the post read.
