KOZHIKODE: In the backdrop of the fatal crash involving a KSRTC bus on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, which claimed two lives, a flurry of official inquiries have been launched to investigate potential sabotage and highway robbery tactics targeting interstate vehicles.
Multiple high-level probes are now under way across state borders after evidence suggested that egg-throwing may have blinded drivers, causing catastrophic loss of control, officials said.
The momentum for a deep legal and forensic inquiry built rapidly after witnesses and rescue volunteers highlighted traces of broken eggs found at the site of the August 8 accident in Bidadi, where a Kozhikode-Bengaluru Deluxe bus crashed into a divider, killing driver Mithilesh and conductor Arun and injuring 20 passengers.
The suspicion gained weight on August 12, when a Kasaragod-bound KSRTC Super Deluxe bus faced an identical egg-throwing attempt just two kilometres away, near Bidadi.
Describing the harrowing situation, driver V Suresh noted, “Suddenly, eggs were hurled from the service road, and they shattered across the front glass.”
His quick decision to avoid using the wipers preserved his visibility enough to safely navigate the bus to a secure location.
Detailing the specific actions taken by the state transport corporation, KSRTC executive director G P Pradeep Kumar said, “Right now, KSRTC vigilance as well as mechanical engineering wings are conducting internal probes and we have submitted two separate petitions to Karnataka police, seeking an inquiry on the recent egg-throwing incident as well as on the August 8 accident.”
He confirmed that the KSRTC authorities submitted the petition regarding the egg-attack on Thursday, followed by the petition regarding the fatal crash, on Friday
At the executive level, Transport Minister C P John intervened by directing KSRTC management to thoroughly evaluate all possibilities, including deliberate sabotage and targeted robbery ambushes on KSRTC buses. The minister has also dispatched an official letter to the Karnataka state government, demanding a comprehensive forensic investigation into the incidents.
Concurrently, local public organisations -- including the KMCC -- have submitted visual evidence to the Karnataka home minister, pressing for immediate criminal action against gangs operating along the Bidadi-Ramanagara highway corridor.
Highway crimes pose a severe threat to commuter safety, with gangs often relying on stealth tactics to exploit isolated road stretches. They frequently use deceptive methods -- such as hurling eggs or debris at windshields to blind drivers, throwing spikes to puncture tyres, or staging fake accidents -- to force vehicles to stop before committing robberies or violent assaults. These coordinated ambushes thrive in poorly lit areas with minimal law-enforcement presence.
KSRTC officials emphasised that their ongoing internal assessment is closely reviewing route safety conditions, attack times, similar previous incidents, localised crime patterns, and vehicle mechanics to ensure passenger and crew protection, assuring that strict legal action will follow if any criminal conspiracy is uncovered.
No sign of egg pelting on KSRTC bus: Bidadi police
Following concerns raised by the Kerala transport minister, Bidadi police have stated that while there were no signs of egg pelting on the KSRTC bus that met with an accident on August 8, a complaint has been filed alleging egg pelting on a Kerala-bound bus on Wednesday night. “The accident that happened at Avaragere on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway on August 8 between 6.15am and 6.17am was due to suspected overspeeding by the driver of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation super deluxe bus.
After the accident, we were told by some passengers that the bus left Kozhikode almost 90 minutes late. It appears the driver, in order to make up for the delay, was overspeeding. The accident was not due to any egg pelting. Moreover, no Kerala transport department officials have approached us yet in this regard,” said an officer attached to Bidadi police station. The officer, however, added that there is a complaint of egg pelting on a KSRTC deluxe bus going to Kasargod from Bengaluru. “The incident happened on Wednesday night and the concerned have submitted a petition. We are looking into it,” the officer said.
