10 December,2024 05:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The damaged vehicles and the bus on Monday night. Pic/Sameer Abedi
The alleged negligence of the driver involved in the Kurla BEST bus crash, caused the horrific accident that killed 7, injured 42, police sources said on Tuesday.
The police investigation into the accident revealed that the bus driver identified as Sanjay More, 54, began operating the electric BEST bus just days before the horrific accident took place.
Official sources said that More had began driving the bus on December 1, making it a new experience for him.
"More has been driving heavy vehicles since 1991 and holds a valid licence for the operation of such vehicles, including buses," said an official.
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More has 33 years of expertise in handling heavy vehicles, the authorities said on Tuesday.
More, a resident of Aslfa village in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai was arrested by the Kurla police following the tragic accident.
He was first detained by the police on Monday night and later arrested under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
More was produced before a Mumbai court on Tuesday that remanded him in police custody till December 21.
The court had earlier ordered that the accused should be produced physically and rejected two applications filed by the police for making the accused appear through a video conferencing. He was later produced before the court by the police.
A police official said, "More had previously operated BEST mini-buses and other regular buses. However, he did not have much experience operating electric buses. He started driving an electric BEST bus on December 1 and had only been running the electric buses on the Kurla-Andheri route for nine days."
The bus he was allegedly driving hit several vehicles and pedestrians around 9.30 pm in the crowded Kurla (West) locality.
The police on Tuesday told the court that the he drove the bus in a 'negligent manner'. More allegedly pressed the accelerator 50-60 meters before the accident spot.
The police want to identify whether the accused was drunk on the day of the incident for which investigations into the matter are underway.
The defence lawyer demanded a judicial custody stating that the accused blood samples have been taken but the court remanded him in police custody.
Sources from BEST shared, "We suspect that there was a technical fault in the bus or that the driver lost control of the speed due to the electric bus. Around 49 people were injured in this incident out of which seven people have died so far.
The BEST sources further clarified that the Regional Transport Office (RTO) team will thoroughly inspect the bus to identify all possible causes of the incident. "The actual cause will only be determined after the inspection by the RTO," they stated.
