The accident of MSRTC bus on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Thursday was due to the bus driver trying to overtake a trailer from the left side, as per an eye witness account.
The driver had earlier claimed that the trailer was speeding and had hit the bus. The police have now arrested the bus driver for providing false information.
One person died and 13 others were injured in the accident after the right side of the MSRTC bus, coming from Satara to Mumbai, was completely damaged after collision with the trailer.
The driver of the bus, Jagannath Kisan Raut (48), in his statement, had told police that the unidentified trailer driver had rammed into the bus while overtaking rashly.
“After we detained the trailer driver Bajrang Sharma, he revealed that it was the bus driver who tried to overtake from the left side. We confirmed this from other witnesses and when questioned, the MSRTC driver too accepted his role,” senior police inspector Ravindra Daundkar from Panvel Taluka police station said.
It was found that Raut had to take a left turn ahead to go towards Panvel depot for which he tried to overtake the trailer from the left and collided with the trailer, injuring all 13 passengers on the right side of the bus and killing Ganesh Ramdas Kadam (36), a BEST driver from Satara, who was going to Mumbai to join back work after Diwali.
Raut was arrested under Sections 182 (False information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) and 211 (False charge of offence made with intent to injure) of the IPC.
The trailer driver was detained on Thursday evening and was interrogated. After his statement, police also recorded the statement of the passengers who were injured.
“Of the 13 injured, three are in critical condition. We recorded the statement of the other passengers who narrated what had happened. After corroborating all the statements, we interrogated the MSRTC bus driver after which he confessed,” Daundkar added.
The bus had left Satara on Wednesday night and was heading to Patel depot when it met with accident at Kon village near Panvel at around 1.30am. Following the accident, Sr PI Daundkar and assistant police inspector Subhash Pujari of Highway Safety Patrol, Palaspa unit, reached the spot and shifted the injured to a hospital.
“Since the right side of the bus was damaged. All passengers sitting there fractured their legs,” API Pujari said.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/msrtc-bus-driver-arrested-for-mishap-on-mumbai-pune-expressway/story-EhDVLhkOufgIdHHhhVooYN.html
