Following yet another death by a wet-lease bus driven by a contract driver, family urges better training modules for new electric buses
Dikshit Rajput, the deceased, who worked at a college in Vidyavihar
Less than a week after the Kurla bus tragedy, Dikshit Rajput, a 27-year-old was crushed to death by a wet-lease BEST bus near the Shivaji Nagar junction in Govandi on Saturday. The family members of the youth have demanded that the undertaking’s contract drivers be trained rigorously to avoid such mishaps.
Rajput was a member of the non-teaching staff at a reputed college in Vidyavihar. He is survived by his mother, father and younger brother. The Deonar police have registered an FIR and have also apprehended the driver Vinod Rankhambe, 39. Navnath Dhavale, DCP, Zone VI, said, “Rajput was taken to Rajawadi hospital where the doctors declared him dead. During the investigation, it was learnt that he had come in contact with the tyre of a BEST bus. We are investigating the matter and action will be taken according to the law.”
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(From left) Dikshit Rajput’s mother, Laxmi; father Vinod; and brother Vivek at their residence on Sunday. Pic/Rajesh Gupta
According to Vivek, 26, the brother of the deceased, at the time of the incident, around 11.30 pm, Rajput was heading home from a party on his two-wheeler after dropping a friend off at Govandi and collecting a food parcel for his family. “Around 12.30 am on Sunday, my mother received a call and the police officer stated that my brother had met with an accident. By the time we reached the hospital, the doctors had declared him dead,” he said.
“The bus was proceeding to Kurla bus station from Shivaji Nagar. The bus was operated by the BVG Group under the wet-lease model,” said a BEST official. Vivek told mid-day that the BEST must ensure its bus drivers are sufficiently trained. “This is the second such instance since the Kurla tragedy where life has been lost due to negligence. Before handing over heavy electric vehicles to outsourced drivers, the authorities must provide them with proper training. We demand strict action against all the accused.”
A senior officer attached to the Deonar police said, “Rankhambe has around 15 years of experience in driving and was not drunk when the accident took place. We are investigating the root cause of the accident. We have examined CCTV footage but have not reached any conclusion as it was not clear. We have seized the bus.” The police are looking into whether he had been adequately trained before being allowed to operate the vehicle.
Rankhambe has been booked by the Deonar police under Sections 106 (causing death by negligent or rash driving), 125 (an act endangering the life or safety of others) and 281 (rash and negligent driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police officer said, “An eyewitness has stated that a person on an Activa [Rajput] had landed in front of the rear tyre of the bus. It might have been difficult for him to control the two-wheeler as it was dark. However, we are investigating the incident.”
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