Low-floor bus snuffs out life of aspiring cop in Jaipur

JAIPUR: The city’s low-floor buses are fast becoming moving coffins due to frequent mishaps.
Little did 18-year-old Anil Choudhary imagine that the low-floor bus that he had boarded on Tuesday morning would end his life due to the sheer negligence of driver.

“Anil was sitting at the front bay of the bus. Driver had negligently kept open the electronic gates of the low-floor. When the driver suddenly applied brakes, Anil was thrown out of the vehicle and came under the rear wheel of the same bus,” said Banne Singh, sub-inspector, Muhana police station.

The Jaipur police said that the driver fled from the spot while Anil’s father has filed a complaint against the accused driver at Muhana police station.

A resident of Godaraon Ki Dhani, Renwal Manji, Anil was heading to his coaching centre in Sanaganer when the accident happened. The relatives told police Anil was a hardworking student and preparing for upcoming Rajasthan police constable examination. The relatives said that Anil's family was planning his wedding

“His father is a farmer and had many a times asked him to follow his footsteps to become a farmer. But Anil was convinced that he can clear the police examination. He spent most of the time in coaching and revision at home,” said an official who had spoken to Anil’s father Ram Dhan.

The initial investigation indicates at negligence on the part of the driver. “The gates should be closed immediately by the driver. Instead, he kept it open. When the driver applied sudden breaks, Anil could not hold onto anything was thrown out. The rear wheels of the bus mowed him down,” Singh told TOI.

Panic set-in after the death, the passengers made fevered attempts to rescue Anil but in vain. “An ambulance had come but Anil had already succumbed to death. His head was completely crushed,” an official said, adding that efforts are being made to arrest the accused.

The officials told TOI that poor maintenance and untrained drivers makes these buses a moving public hazard. Recently on May 28, Around 35 passengers on board a low-floor bus had a close shave as the vehicle caught fire on Monday afternoon near Durgapura area.