Kozhikode, 14 August (H.S.):

An egg-pelting attack on a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway has prompted investigators to examine whether a similar incident caused last week's fatal KSRTC accident near Bidadi.

On August 8, a super deluxe bus travelling from Kozhikode to Bengaluru overturned on the expressway, killing driver Midhilesh and conductor N.M. Arun.

A KSRTC inquiry found that the bus was mechanically sound and that Midhilesh had a clean service record. He had rested before starting the journey. With mechanical failure and driver fatigue ruled out, officials are investigating whether an external factor led to the accident.

The suspicion gained ground after attackers threw eggs at the windscreen of ATC 142, a KSRTC bus travelling from Bengaluru to Kasaragod, around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The bus, attached to the Kasaragod depot, was passing through an area barely two kilometres from the earlier accident site.

The eggs reportedly obscured the driver's vision, creating a dangerous situation on the expressway. However, the driver managed to retain control and avert an accident.

Kerala Transport Minister C.P. John has directed KSRTC officials to conduct an inquiry into the incidents, including the possibility of deliberate attempts to obstruct drivers' vision and cause crashes.

The team investigating the August 8 accident will examine the location of the attack, the route taken by the bus and reports of similar incidents involving vehicles on the expressway.

A senior official at the KSRTC's Kozhikode depot said the corporation had received a voice message from a staff member of the bus attacked on Wednesday. Similar egg-pelting incidents targeting trucks, cars and buses had occurred in the area, the official said.

KSRTC said precautions would be taken to protect passengers and employees. Strict legal action would follow if the inquiry established that the incidents were deliberate acts of sabotage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman