Mumbai:
To add to the recent spate of accidents involving BEST buses, a travel operator lost his life after a BEST bus collided with his bike and ran over his body on Monday evening.
Fearing mob justice, the bus driver abandoned the vehicle and ran to Mulund police station and surrendered. Passers-by then alerted the police, who took the victim to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
About 5:30 pm on Monday, 25-year-old Salim Ansari, a resident of Bhandup (W) was returning home on his bike. At Mulund colony near Pancharatna temple, Mulund (W), a BEST bus (#391) plying from Mulund station to Khindi Pada pulled up near Ansari. The bus driver Balram Verma, 56, was allegedly driving negligently and took a sharp left.
Ansari's bike handle got stuck in the metal compartment of the bus and his bike skidded under the bus, taking Ansari along with it. The rear tyre of the bus then went over Ansari, killing him on the spot. As a crowd began to gather around the bus, Verma got down and ran for more than 15 mins, till he reached Mulund police station where he surrendered.
According to police, locals then called them to the spot, and Ansari was taken to Rajawadi hospital where he was declared dead on admission. Police said that Ansari died on the spot due to head injuries. In the same hospital, his post mortem was carried out and body was handed over to family members.
A resident of Bhandup (W), Ansari stayed along with his parents and wife, and owned a travel business. Ansari had married three years back, and his wife is currently pregnant.
The driver, Verma was charged under Section 304 of the IPC, causing death due to negligence.
Did you know?
In 2010-11 BEST drivers were involved in 691 accidents and caused 46 deaths. The earlier year's accident figure was 882. It is estimated that BEST causes an average of 40 deaths per year.