Mumbai BEST Bus Driver Remanded Until December 21; Lacked Experience in Electric Vehicle Operation

Mumbai, Dec 10 (NationPress) A Magistrate Court located in Kurla has placed BEST bus driver Sanjay More under police custody until December 21, following an incident where his electric vehicle mowed down 49 people, leading to the deaths of seven and crashing into more than 30 vehicles. This tragic event has triggered a significant political uproar on Tuesday.

More, aged 50, was apprehended early on Tuesday as a crowd grew angry and attempted to assault him. He was interrogated and subsequently charged with multiple offenses, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, due to the chaos that ensued around 9:30 P.M. on Monday.

As reported by the BrihanMumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST), the driver seemingly lost control of the 12-meter-long electric bus and continued to accelerate for over 100 meters in a bustling market area near Lal Bahadur Shastri Road on S.G. Barve Marg.

As the bus recklessly sped through the area, hundreds of pedestrians began screaming and fleeing in all directions to escape being struck. The bus, carrying approximately seven passengers, crashed through and destroyed the boundary wall of the Solomon Residency building before coming to an abrupt stop.

During initial questioning, More acknowledged that he had received only 10 days of training before being assigned to operate the bus for its regular routes, stating he lost control due to a lack of experience with the sophisticated and automated electric vehicles.

Despite eyewitness accounts suggesting that More was intoxicated, preliminary medical evaluations indicate he was not under the influence and was fully alert; however, his blood samples have been sent for further analysis.

A team of forensic investigators, along with the Regional Transport Office, retrieved the electric bus from the compound of the building and initiated inspections to determine if any mechanical issues contributed to the deadly incident.

Since the bus was wet-leased from a private entity, investigations may extend to potential involvement of its officials, as well as civic and other authorities, according to sources.

The Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased and pledged to cover all medical expenses for the injured, while Deputy CM Ajit Pawar assured a thorough investigation and that those responsible would face consequences.

Leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT), including Aditya Thackeray, Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), and M. Arif Naseem Khan from Congress, joined other Maha Vikas Aghadi officials in calling for a comprehensive inquiry into the incident and the strictest penalties for those at fault.

Among the seven victims, six have been identified as Kaniz Fatema Ansari (55), Afreen A. Shaikh (19), Anam Shaikh (18), Farooque Chaudhari (54), Shivam Kashyap (18), and Vijay Gaikwad (70), according to the BMC. Of the 49 injured, seven are reported to be in critical condition, six have been discharged, while the rest are receiving treatment across various civic, government, and private hospitals.

The BEST has pledged Rs 2 lakh in compensation to the families of each deceased victim and established a probe committee led by Chief Manager Ramesh Madavi.

The air-conditioned bus, operating on Route No. A-332, was wet-leased by the BEST and was en route from Kurla to Andheri East Bus Depot when the calamity occurred.

A delegation from the Bharatiya Janata Party met with BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar and requested a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased's families and up to Rs 2 lakh for all injured parties.