ITANAGAR, Sep 11: In a freak incident, a loud bang from a broken “suspension system” of a Guwahati-bound bus created confusion and panic among passengers who assumed the sound to be of a bullet, shot allegedly “by robbers.”
“According to the two drivers and some passengers who were contacted over the telephone, on 11 September, the suspension system of a Guwahati-bound bus under the Blue Hills bus service got damaged while on its way from Itanagar and caused the bus to tilt on its side,” Capital SP Tumme Amo informed reporters.
The police here received information through video footage and voice recordings that some robbers had alleging fired a bullet at the Guwahati bound bus near Kaliabhumura Bridge.
However, on inquiry by the Koliabor SDPO in Assam and the SP here, it was found that there was no firing incident.
“The Blue Hills bus brushed against another bus of the Puja Travels coming from the opposite direction, and hit the concrete pillars of the Kaliabhumura Bridge at around 2.30 AM when all the passengers were asleep. The contact with the bridge made a loud noise and rattled the bus,” the SP informed.
He added: “The sleeping passengers panicked; some thought the bus was about to meet with an accident and asked the driver to stop the bus, while some thought that looters or robbers had fired a bullet to stop the bus and they shouted at the driver not to stop. The panic-ridden driver stopped the bus after moving forward for some distance. All the crew and passengers got down and checked the bus. While the bus sustained some damages, no bullet hole was found.”
“The reports indicate no firing incident took place as alleged, but there was some misunderstanding due to shock and darkness,” he said, adding: “The matter is under investigation.”
