Bus driver ferrying 26 students to football event found drunk in Thane, probe launched

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A bus driver ferrying 26 students to football event was on Saturday found under the influence of alcohol in Thane district of Maharashtra, reported the PTI.

The traffic policeman in Thane's Kalyan caught an alcoholic driver transporting 26 students to a football event, according to an official on Saturday, PTI reported.

The incident occurred on Friday near Subhash Chowk, as the bus was travelling from Ulhasnagar in the district to Virar in neighbouring Palghar, according to an official.

"Constable Suresh Patil noticed the bus was swerving despite the road being clear and the driver did not seem to be in complete control. He got the bus to stop and subjected driver Surendra Gautam to a breathalyser test, which returned positive," Kalyan traffic police senior inspector Rajesh Shirsat said.

"If Patil had not acted quickly, the bus could have met with an accident. The driver was fined and will face further action, while the bus has been seized and its owner notified. We arranged another bus for the students to reach Virar for the football tournament," Shirsat added.

Earlier this month, the driver and conductor of a bus ferrying 50 children for a school trip were allegedly found under the influence of alcohol in the western suburbs of Mumbai, the police said, reported the PTI.

The Mumbai Traffic Police were conducting a surprise check in Andheri on morning of December 17, when they intercepted a bus and conducted checks on the driver and conductor of the bus, an official said.

The bus was heading to Gorai for a school trip with students and teachers of a Sakinaka-based school, an official said.

The traffic personnel noticed that the bus was being driven dangerously, and on questioning the driver, they found that both he and the conductor were drunk, he said, according to the PTI.

The official said that the school had hired the bus for the trip.

The bus driver and conductor were later handed over to Andheri Police Station for further action, he added, adding that the police is further probing the matter.

In another incident, In another incident, a 24-year-old youth died in a drunken driving incident at Powai on November 24. The deceased and two of his friends were riding three up. The friends were also seriously injured in this incident and admitted to hospital.

The deceased was identified as Krishna Patil who had gone for a ride near Powai lake with his two friends, Mohammed Khan, 24, and Nilesh Nishad, 22, and they decided to drink alcohol by the lakeside.

Patil received a call from his brother who informed him that their grandmother was unwell and he needed to take her to Rajawadi Hospital. While rushing home he met with an accident. The complainant Mohammed Khan was also injured in the accident.

(With inputs from PTI)