Pics: Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Feb 2: Tension prevailed on the national highway at Kaup here on Tuesday February 2 evening after one person was killed and another injured in an accident.

The deceased has been identified as Preetam Shetty (23), son of the late Yadava Shetty and Shashikala Shetty of Kotalakatte, Kaup.

The accident took place when a recklessly driven bus hit a stationary fish truck. The truck had broken down, and when the bus driver tried to overtake it in a rash manner, a rod at the rear end of the truck broke and hit Preetam who was in the bus, killing him on the spot. 

The Nandi Motors express bus was moving from Mangaluru to Kundapur.

Meghana Brahmavar, who was injured in the accident, has been admitted to hospital. She is a student of St Aloysius College, Mangaluru.

The locals who were angered by the incident gathered in large numbers and protested against the rash and reckless driving of bus drivers. Buses plying between Udupi and Mangaluru were forcibly stopped by the protestors.

There were heated exchange of words between the protestors, the police and passengers of various buses. Finally, after much effort, the police managed to calm down the situation. The locals blamed both recklessness on the part of the bus driver and the truck standing on the road for the accident.

Preetam had lost his father due to sudden illness a few years ago. He was the only son among three siblings, and after his father's death, Preetam took up the responsibility of looking after his mother and two sisters. He was working at a pharmacy in Mangaluru, and at the time of the accident, was on his way to the pharmacy's Udupi office after finishing his work in Mangaluru. The family was already under financial burden after Preetam's death, and now the situation has worsened with another irreparable loss.

Kaup circle inspector G M Nayak, Kaup SI Jagadish Reddy, Padubidri SI Azmat Ali arrived at the spot and took stock of the situation.

Kaup police have regsistered a case.