Two held for vandalising ‘Ama Buses’

Bhubaneswar: A mob attacked and vandalised three ‘Ama Buses’ after a bus was involved in an accident injuring a motorcyclist on Janpath road on Friday. The ‘Ama Bus’ reportedly grazed a motorcycle near Ashok Nagar area. The CCTV footage later suggested the biker may have entered the wrong side and lost control, without being directly hit by the bus. But this did not stop the mob’s reaction.

An angry crowd gathered at the scene. They abused the driver, who fled for safety, and began pelting the bus with stones, shattering windows. The violence escalated as the miscreants stopped and damaged two other ‘Ama Buses’ passing on the same route. Passengers on the buses panicked.

Police teams, including DCP Jagmohan Meena, rushed to the spot to control the situation and dispersed the crowd. Two persons were arrested on Saturday in connection with the vandalism, identified through CCTV footage and other evidence.

The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), which operated the Ama Buses, lodged two FIRs.

Officials condemned the vandalism and promised strict action against those involved, emphasising that destruction of public property is unacceptable. The CRUT also stated that the accident was not due to the bus driver’s fault based on initial evidence.

This incident has reignited concerns over road safety and the high number of accidents involving ‘Ama Buses’ (formerly Mo Buses) in the capital region, which have claimed at least 22 lives since operations began in 2018