Red killer runs over motorcyclist

KOCHI: Another life lost on the road after a private bus ran over a motorcycle rider at Elamkulam on Monday morning. The victim, Dr Lijin C Jacob, 24, Chettiparampil House, Kidangannur Village, Pathanamthitta, breathed his last on the spot. He was working as a house surgeon at the Ernakulam Government General Hospital. The accident occurred while he was on his way to the hospital.The driver of the bus fled the scene immediately after the accident. The police have registered a case and launched a manhunt to nab the driver. The irate onlookers damaged the bus and police force had to rush to the spot to bring the situation under control. According to the police, the bus with registration number KL-40/4244 was running much above the permissible speed limits and the driver was not able to control the bus. The accident occurred when the bus ran over the motorcyclist who fell on the road after he suddenly applied brakes to avoid hitting a woman crossing the road. The body was taken to the Ernakulam General Hospital for postmortem and later handed over to the relatives.  It was two months ago that a speeding private bus rammed into a pedestrian at Pallimukku killing him on the spot. Though there were repeated complaints against private buses for violating traffic regulations, the police have failed to taken strict action. The city traffic police take action against private buses only when an accident occurs.  Though the police launched strict actions against erring bus drivers they did not take it up further owing to pressure from bus owners.