Drunk drivers are terrorists’: Hyderabad police chief after Andhra bus inferno

Dubai: Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar has issued a blistering condemnation of drunk driving after the deadly Andhra Pradesh bus fire that killed 19 passengers, declaring that “drunk drivers are terrorists” and promising “no mercy” for offenders.

“Drunk drivers are terrorists. Period. Their actions are nothing short of acts of terror on our roads,” Sajjanar said in a post on X, reacting to the horrific bus inferno in Kurnool that claimed 19 innocent lives.

Describing the tragedy as a “preventable massacre”, the top cop said it was not an accident but a criminal act of negligence that wiped out entire families in seconds.

“The horrific Kurnool bus accident was not an accident in the truest sense. It was a massacre born of arrogance and intoxication, caused by the reckless decision of a drunken biker who had no right to be on the road,” Sajjanar said.

CCTV footage, police say, shows B. Shiva Shankar, the biker, refueling his motorcycle at 2:24 a.m., minutes before he lost control and triggered the devastating collision at 2:39 a.m. “His decision to drive drunk turned a moment of arrogance into a tragedy of unimaginable scale,” Sajjanar said.

The Hyderabad Police Commissioner reaffirmed his stance that drunk driving is not a mistake but a crime.

“I stand firmly by my statement that drunk drivers are terrorists in every sense. They destroy lives, families, and futures. Such acts will never be tolerated,” he said.

Sajjanar warned that the Hyderabad police would show no leniency to anyone caught driving under the influence.

“Every single person caught driving drunk will face the full force of the law. There will be no leniency, no exceptions, and no mercy for those who endanger innocent lives,” he said.“It’s time we, as a society, stop calling drunk driving a mistake. It is a crime that shatters lives and must be punished accordingly.”

‘Preventable carnage’

The Kurnool investigation has confirmed that the biker, Shiva Shankar, and his pillion rider, Erri Swamy, had consumed alcohol before the crash. The two were returning home after dinner and drinks at a dhaba when tragedy struck.

Police said Shankar lost control of his motorcycle, hit a divider, and died instantly. Moments later, a Hyderabad–Bengaluru sleeper bus ran over the fallen bike, dragging it for several metres. The bike’s fuel tank burst, setting the bus on fire and trapping passengers inside.

Nineteen people, including two children, were burnt alive, while 27 others escaped through shattered windows.

Calling the accident a wake-up call, Sajjanar said the tragedy should ignite a national reckoning on drunk driving.

“It’s time to stop forgiving the unforgivable. A drunk driver behind the wheel is no different from a terrorist with a weapon — both destroy lives without warning,” he said.