TUMAKURU: Four persons including the driver of Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police died and six persons injured when a private bus brushed aside the KSRTC bus at Kallambella on Bengaluru-Pune NH-48 in the early hours of Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Ramesh Parameshwar Nayak(52), the Assistant Reserve Sub Inspector working as the driver of the UK SP Patil Vinayak V for over a year and a native of Hallikere in Ankola taluk of Karwar district, Nikhita(27) daughter of Vinayaka of Sahakara Nagara in Bengaluru and Dhanaraj(35), a spare driver of the private bus-all traveling in Bengaluru bound Seabird Private bus, and Depak Mannanavar(34), a clerk working with the minor irrigation department in Bagalakote traveling in the Bengaluru bound KSRTC bus from Hubballi.
Sources said the SP's driver was on the way to Bengaluru on an official work.
In an attempt to overtake the KSRTC bus the private bus rammed it at around 5 a.m.
The Sira rural Circle Police Inspector Sudarshan who was in the rounds rushed to the spot and took up the rescue operation along with the Kallambella police sub-inspector Muthuraj and his staff. The injured were shifted to the district general hospital here and one grievously injured to the NIMHANS in Bengaluru. Deputy superintendent of police Venkatesh Naidu also visited the spot.
The Kallambella police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the private bus driver.