Pimpri-Chinchwad: In a shocking case, a horrible accident happened in Pancharatna Square in Hinjawadi IT Park on Monday evening, where three siblings died after a company bus ran over them on the footpath. Two of them died on the spot, while one died during treatment late on Monday night. One other man is seriously injured and still undergoing treatment, while one woman who was injured has somewhat recovered and is now stable.
The bus driver, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, recklessly drove the bus, crushing three siblings and killing all three of them. In this case, the bus driver and two others were presented before the Mulshi court on Tuesday and were remanded to police custody until Thursday (December 4th).
Those remanded to police custody have been identified as bus driver Nagnath Rajabhau Gujar (33, Bhosari, native of Dharashiv) and sub-vendor and bus company manager Bhausaheb Rohidas Ghomal (48, Chinchwad, native of Ahilyanagar). The police have also filed a case against the owner of Maitreya Travels and the person responsible for conducting the safety check of the driver.
Swapnil Pandurang Jambhulkar (24, Hinjawadi) filed the complaint at the Hinjawadi Police Station regarding the matter.
The three deceased in the accident are two sisters, Priya Devendra Prasad (16) and Aarchi Devendra Prasad (8), and their brother, Suraj Devendra Prasad (6). The motorcyclist, Avinash Haridas Chavan (age 26), was seriously injured.
According to the police reports, bus driver Nagnath Gujar, under the influence of alcohol, was driving the Maitreya Travels bus with registration number MH 14 LL 7233 at a high speed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk towards Wakad Bridge in Hinjawadi. At Pancharatna Chowk, he first hit the motorcycle of Avinash Chavan. The bus then violently struck the three pedestrians on the footpath: sisters Priya Prasad and Aarchi Prasad and their brother, Suraj Prasad. Aarchi and Suraj died on the spot. The bus also hit Noor Alam and Vimal Ozarkar, the aunt of the complainant, Swapnil Jambhulkar. The bus also damaged the footpath, an electric pole, and a hoarding.
The vehicle owner and supervisory officers have been held accountable for allowing the bus driver to operate the vehicle without a safety check, despite knowing that an accident and potential fatalities could occur if the driver was intoxicated. Accordingly, a case has been registered against the owner of Maitreya Travels, the sub-vendor and manager, and the person responsible for the driver's safety inspection. Police Sub-Inspector Vikas Takatode is conducting the investigation.
