Four killed, nine injured as BEST bus runs over pedestrians in Mumbai’s Bhandup
CM Fadnavis announces Rs 5 lakh ex gratia for the kin of the deceased as police detain the driver after the accident in the crowded area outside the Bhandup station
Four people, including three women, were killed and nine others injured after a reversing bus operated by Mumbai’s civic-run transport undertaking BEST struck pedestrians on Monday night (December 29), a police official said.
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The incident occurred at around 10 pm on the busy Station Road in suburban Bhandup (West).
Driver detained, FIR registered
The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, the police official added. The bus driver was detained and an FIR has been registered in connection with the accident.
Sucheta Utale, Public Relations Officer of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), said the accident took place outside Bhandup (West) railway station at around 10.05 pm.
At the time of the incident, the bus was being driven by Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52), a BEST staff driver, while Bhagwan Bhau Ghare (47) was on duty as the conductor, she said.
A senior civic official, speaking to PTI on condition of anonymity, said the accident occurred when the driver was reversing the bus at the terminal point of its route.
Heavy congestion
The wet-leased midi bus involved in the accident had been hired from Olectra Greentech. Under the wet lease model followed by BEST, the contractor bears the costs of fuel, the driver and maintenance, the official explained.
Earlier this year, mini buses operating on crowded routes connecting Bhandup station in the eastern suburbs to slum-dominated areas near the foothills of Sanjay Gandhi National Park were withdrawn from the BEST fleet.
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The area outside Bhandup railway station remains crowded throughout the day, with the availability of vegetables at lower prices attracting large numbers of people, further worsening congestion.
Despite operational challenges such as an inadequate turning radius, BEST, facing an acute shortage of buses, introduced Olectra-manufactured midi buses on routes from Bhandup (West) station, the official said.
Eyewitness account
Encroachment of pavements by hawkers forced pedestrians onto the road, contributing to the deaths, an eyewitness said.
Buses terminating at Bhandup station find it difficult to execute U-turns outside the railway station due to hawkers and heavy evening crowds, said Saimini Mudaliyar, a pharmacist, speaking to PTI.
Within moments of the bus coming to a halt, people began lifting and pushing the stationary vehicle, suggesting that several individuals were trapped underneath, the eyewitness said.
She noted that this was the second accident involving a BEST electric bus, following a similar incident in Kurla last year that claimed nine lives, and called for a thorough investigation into why innocent citizens were being put at risk.
She also urged the police to check whether the driver, Santosh Sawant, was under the influence of alcohol.
Police assure action
Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemaraj Rajput said the victims included pedestrians who had stepped out of their homes and were returning.
Shopkeepers in the busy area immediately pulled down their shutters after the accident, and a heavy police presence remained at the site until the early hours.
The accident spot was cordoned off, and a forensic team collected samples from the scene.
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Rajput said the investigation would examine all aspects, including the condition of the vehicle, but stressed that assisting the injured remained the police’s priority.
Rs 5 lakh ex gratia
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed.
In a post on X, he described the incident as “extremely unfortunate” and paid tributes to the deceased.
He said nine people were injured and prayed for their speedy recovery, adding that the state government would provide financial assistance of ₹5 lakh to the legal heirs of the victims.
Mumbai Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad called for an inquiry into the accident.
“This is deeply distressing. Faulty buses, inadequately trained drivers and an administration unwilling to invest in and improve BEST are endangering lives every day. We demand a comprehensive inquiry into this incident,” Gaikwad said.
(With agency inputs)