Mumbai: The driver, Santosh Ramesh Sawant, 52, of the BEST wetlease electric AC bus involved in the fatal accident near Bhandup West railway station has claimed during police interrogation that the bus was already in a running condition when he sat in the driver’s seat and that it suddenly jumped forward as soon as he released the handbrake, leading to the fatal crash.
Sawant has been working as a BEST driver since 2008 and is a permanent employee. He had started driving electric buses only a few months ago. On the day of the incident, he had reported for night duty and was assigned the route 606 bus. He told the police that as soon as he released the handbrake, the bus surged forward uncontrollably. The accident occurred around 9.30pm on Monday on the busy Bhandup Station Road. The electric AC bus (MH-01 CV 6515), operating on BEST route number 606, went out of control moments after the driver took charge.
The bus rammed into a queue of passengers waiting at the bus stop and pedestrians, before crashing into a pole and coming to a halt. The impact resulted in the deaths of four people, Pranita Sandip Rasam, 35, Mansi Meghshyam Gurav, 49, Varsha Sawant, 25, and Prashant Dattu Shinde, 45. Eleven others suffered serious injuries. The injured were shifted to Rajawadi Hospital in Gha tkopar, MT Agarwal Hospital in Mulund, and Fortis Hospital, Mulund for emergency treatment.
While four victims succumbed to their injuries, the remaining injured are currently undergoing treatment, police said. The Bhandup police have arrested Sawant and registered a case. A local court has remanded him to police custody till January 3. However, the police have alleged that despite being aware of heavy pedestrian and commuter traffic near Bhandup railway station, Sawant drove the bus in a negligent manner, endangering lives.
The FIR states that the bus was used as a dangerous instrument, leading to the deaths and causing grievous injuries. The accident-hit bus has been parked at the bus depot for further investigation. The police are conducting a detailed technical inspection of the vehicle with the help of experts. CCTV footage from the area is being examined, and statements of eyewitnesses, the bus conductor Bhagwan Ghare, 47, and the driver who had earlier parked the bus are being recorded to determine the exact cause of the mishap
Victims’ stories
Among the deceased, Varsha Sawant was working as a nurse at Tata Hospital. She had recently visited her native village to prepare for her cousin’s wedding and was returning home to Bhandup when the accident occurred, her elder sister Anuja Sawant said. Pranita Rasam, another victim, was the mother of two children — a son studying in the second standard and a daughter in the sixth standard. She was returning home with her daughter from a dance class in Dadar when the tragedy struck.
She lived with her husband Nilesh Rasam and children in Sai Nagar, Bhandup West. Her husband alleged that bus drivers in Mumbai often drive recklessly. Mansi Gurav was working as a nurse at Sion Hospital, Prashant Shinde was employed as a warden at a hospital in Ghatkopar, sources said. The deaths have triggered outrage in the Bhandup area. Sa want is a Bhandup resident.
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