KOCHI: A KSRTC bus ran over a “sleeping” man in the early hours of Sunday near the fuel pump within the road transport corporation’s busy Ernakulam bus station.
The deceased has been identified as Raj Kumar Sharma, 40, a native of Murar Pur village in Bihar.
The incident happened at 4 am when a KSRTC bus emerged from the garage and reversed to park near the diesel pump.
“CCTV footage shows the man sleeping on the parapet of the diesel tank from 3 am. He was tossing and turning and appeared to be in an inebriated condition. He had fallen from the parapet and was lying on the ground when the KSRTC bus driver reversed the vehicle and parked it next to the diesel dispenser for refuelling. The vehicle might have run over the man at this stage, but the driver was completely unaware of what had happened,” said sources.
The bus, belonging to the Budget Tourism Cell (BTC) of the Ernakulam depot, left the stand as part of the tour to Ramakkalmedu at 5.15 am. It was only after the vehicle left the stand that an employee noticed the body and alerted authorities. The man had sustained severe injuries to the skull. There were blood stains and tyre marks nearby. A station master reported the incident at Central police station, following which officers reached the spot around 6 am.
“It prima facie appears that the man was crushed under the rear tyre of the KSRTC BTC bus, which has been recalled from Kattappana after passengers were accommodated in another bus from the depot there. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been charged against the driver. Further investigations are on,” police said. Cops also collected the CCTV visuals.
Officers recovered a mobile phone and identity card from the victim’s body. When they called the number saved as ‘Home’ a young child answered, saying the mother was unavailable. “We’re trying to get in touch with them with the help of local police,” they added.
Serious lapse?
Meanwhile, the manner in which the man managed to sneak into the prohibited area and sleep on the parapet of the diesel tank is being viewed as a major security lapse. “The permanent security guard was on leave and only a temporary replacement was on duty on Saturday night,” sources said.
However, the temporary staffer is believed to have been appointed to collect fees at the recently launched AC waiting room.