KARACHI, March 21: The Deputy Superintendent of the Traffic Police, Liaquatabad, and the section officer concerned were placed under suspension and an inquiry was ordered on Thursday into the road accident in which two college girls and a young man died and nine others were injured.

The IG Sindh, Syed Kamal Shah, told Dawn that he had taken serious notice of the Karimabad accident, and warned that in case of major road accidents, section officers concerned and supervisory officers would be placed under suspension and exemplary department actions would be taken against them.

He said the DSP Traffic, Liaquatabad, Anwar Alam, had been placed under suspension. He also instructed the DIG Traffic, Saud Mirza, to suspend the section officer concerned.

Rehmat Khan Mehsood, the SSP Traffic Zone-II, said the section officer Liaquatabad had been suspended.

Mr Shah said chargesheets would be issued to the suspended officials under police rules. He said the inquiry would be headed by an officer of SSP rank. About the Motor Vehicle’s examination report, which attributed the accident to break failure, he said: “I do not attribute it to break failure. Let the inquiry report come, then everything will be clear,” he added.

He said the fitness certificate issued for the bus involved in the accident would be looked into. If it was established that the Motor Vehicle Inspector concerned had issued the certificate by randomly checking the bus, he would be held responsible for issuing certificate for a faulty bus, and a departmental action would be taken against him.

The IG said the bus driver had been arrested, and it would also be investigated whether he had a valid driving licence.

Sources in the police department said the driver failed to provide police with a valid driving licence.

A recklessly-driven bus killed two college girls and a motorcyclist and injured nine others near APWA College in Karimabad on Tuesday. A case under section 302 of PPC has been registered against the driver.