Tirupati, December 14: In a shocking incident, some miscreants set ablaze a RTC bus in Alipiri bus station, even as the pilgirms were alighting at the bus stop tonight.
An Alipiri Bus depot bus returned from Tirumala with passengers at 10:30 p.m.
and even as the passengers were alighting from the vehicle, some unidentified miscreants, who came on a two wheeler, threw bottles of petrol into the bus from the rear window and threw a lighted match. The driver and some passengers who saw the rear side of the bus on fire, immediately
raised alarm. But, by that time, the miscreants had made good their escape.
Immediately, staff there threw buckets of water on the bus and a fire
tender, which rushed to the spot put down the flames and contained damaged to a few rear seats and inte rior the bus. The last row of seatswere completely gutted. Superintendent of Police (Administration) RN Ammi Reddy and other police officials rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. He pulled up the police officials and security posted there for lack of alertness and directed them to double the watch. APSRTC Regional Manager M Suryaprakash Rao,
who too rushed to the spot took stock of the situation and expressed relief as there was no casualties in the incident. Speaking to Express, RN Ammi Reddy said that they have intensified the security at every government installation and every precautionary measure has been taken to ensure no untoward incidents
taken place. He said that security has also been beefed up at Tirupati Railway
station as well as Tirupati West Railway station.
–Agencies