The driver in Monday’s horrific bus accident in Mumbai rammed 50-60 vehicles and kept going for 300 metres after hitting the first vehicle, the police have told a court in the city.
Seeking police custody of the driver – Sanjay More, 54 – on Tuesday, the investigating officer in the case also said he was aware that he was in a crowded area, and the police want to probe whether he had a motive behind driving the bus recklessly. The bus, which had passengers on board, had come to a halt after hitting the gates of an apartment complex.
The accident, which took place near the Kurla (West) market around 9.45 pm on Monday, had killed seven people. More was arrested and charged with culpable homicide.
Making the Mumbai Police’s case for custody, its lawyer told the Kurla Court that the police are also investigating whether there was a conspiracy behind the incident and whether the driver had used the bus as a weapon. “We also want to check if he was under the influence of alcohol at the time,” the lawyer said.
The lawyer appearing for More, however, said the police did not need his custody and all the information could be gathered from the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which operates the bus.
The BEST administration, he said, can answer whether More was adequately trained and whether his medical report proved that he was drunk at the time of the accident.
After hearing both sides, the court sent the driver to police custody till December 21.
Apart from the six people that were killed, at least 49 people were injured in the accident. A doctor had said the injured included at least four police personnel.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced Rs 5 lakh financial assistance for the families of the victims and said BEST will take care of the treatment of those injured.
The bus involved in the accident is registered in the name of a company called EVEY Trans and was taken on a wet lease by the BEST. Officials said that the drivers of such buses are also supplied by the operators.
Police sources had told NDTV that the driver of this particular electric bus, which was being operated on Route 332 from Kurla Railway Station (West) to Agarkar Chowk in Andheri East, did not have much experience driving heavy vehicles.
