In a blistering condemnation following the horrific Kurnool bus inferno that claimed 20 lives, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar described drunk drivers as &ldquo;terrorists,&rdquo; vowing zero tolerance against those endangering lives on the road.
The fatal incident unfolded on National Highway 44 near Andhra Pradesh&rsquo;s Kurnool in the early hours of Friday, when a private sleeper bus traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru ran over a motorbike lying on the road. The collision sparked a massive fire that engulfed the bus within minutes, leaving passengers, most of whom were asleep, trapped inside.
Investigations revealed that the biker, identified as 20-year-old Panchala Shiva Shankar from Lakshmipuram village, had been drinking before the crash. CCTV footage showed him refuelling his bike shortly before losing control and hitting a divider, leaving the vehicle sprawled across the highway.
&ldquo;The Kurnool bus tragedy was not an accident in the truest sense, it was a preventable massacre,&rdquo; Sajjanar said in a post on X. &ldquo;Drunk drivers are terrorists. Period. Their actions are acts of terror on our roads.&rdquo;&nbsp;Calling it a &ldquo;criminal act of negligence that annihilated entire families,&rdquo; the commissioner added, &ldquo;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.&rdquo;
The bus, operated by Vemuri Kaveri Travels, was carrying 234 new smartphones worth ₹46 lakh in its luggage compartment. Forensic experts believe the lithium-ion batteries in those phones, along with two 12 KV AC batteries, exploded under intense heat, fuelling the inferno.&nbsp;Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Director General P. Venkataramana said, &ldquo;The mobile phones might have caught fire and exploded, aggravating the blaze.&rdquo; Eyewitnesses reported hearing popping sounds as the flames spread.
Meanwhile, Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen said that while the phones intensified the fire, the primary cause was the fuel tank explosion from the motorbike and subsequent ignition of the bus&rsquo;s batteries.&nbsp;Hyderabad Police have now intensified crackdowns on drunk driving. &ldquo;Every person caught driving under the influence will face the full force of the law,&rdquo; Sajjanar warned. &ldquo;No leniency, no exceptions, no mercy.&rdquo;

VC Sajjanar calls drunk drivers “terrorists” after Kurnool bus inferno kills 20

Hyderabad Top Cop Slams Drunk Drivers

VC Sajjanar calls drunk drivers “terrorists” after Kurnool bus inferno kills 20

October 26, 2025 | 17:46 IST