Davangere, 26 Dec

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said an investigation would be conducted into the safety mechanisms of all buses operating in the State.

His statement comes in the wake of a bus accident in Chitradurga district that left nine dead.

He opined that the truck driver was at fault as he had jumped the median of the road.

“There must be a safety mechanism in all the buses and trucks. We will get it investigated,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Davangere.

The driver, Mohammed Rafique, was critically injured during the accident in the early hours of Thursday.

Following the crash, Rafique was rushed to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences at Hubballi.

Despite undergoing emergency surgery, he succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning, they said.

Regarding the train fare hike by the Union government, the Chief Minister said, “The BJP will not speak on the train fare hike. If we do it, then all the leaders will start talking about it. The people themselves will teach a lesson to the BJP leaders for their cunning silence.”

On his Delhi visit, Siddaramaiah said, “I am going for the Congress Working Committee meeting. I don’t go to Delhi frequently.”