Pune: Youth dies after bike-bus crash

PUNE: A delivery boy (26) riding triple-seat on a high-end bike died after a collison with a school bus while ascending a gradient in front of Dorabjee mall on the NIBM-Undri Road in Kondhwa around 2pm on Friday.
The deceased, Shaukeen Shaikh from Kadnagar in Undri, succumbed to head injury. Pillion rider Shafique Mujibul (26), sitting in the middle of the bike, suffered minor injuries to his right leg and hands. The other pillion rider, Chand Alam (24), escaped unhurt.
The Kondhwa police later arrested the school bus driver, Pandurang Badade (37) from Purandar, under Section 304 (A) [causing death due to negligence] of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The spokesperson of the school in the NIBM Road area said, "The school sincerely regrets the unfortunate incident. The issue is under investigation by the relevant authorities, wherein the school is extending its fullest cooperation."
Investigation officer Pratap Doiphode on Saturday told TOI, "The bus picked up students from the school and was on way to Undri. It was descending the gradient when it hit the bike, heading in the direction of NIBM Chowk from Kadnagar on Undri Road."
Doiphode said, "The bus ran over Shaukeen, killing him on the spot. The panicked driver stopped after the accident and reported the matter to his superiors. The school authorities then sent another bus and transported the students to their respective destinations."
He said, "The victim and the pillion riders have roots in Darbhanga in Bihar. We have impounded the bus for RTO inspection. We have arrested Badade under the relevant sections of IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act. Badade told the police during the questioning that the bike hit the bus and the victim came under its rear right wheel."
The complainant, Shafique Mujibul, a driver, said, "Shaukeen was riding the bike. I was sitting between him and the other pillion rider. The bus grazed the bike. The rider lost balance and the vehicle skidded. Shaukeen fell on the right side and was run over by the bus."
He said, "We rushed the victim to a private hospital in Wanowrie, but he was declared dead by the doctors before admission," he added.
Officials with the Pune RTO said the matter would be looked into.
"Since the police have arrested the driver, they will conduct the investigations, which will include checks on the bus and its documents. If it is found that the bus lacks something related to safety as well as documents, the police will take action. We, on our part, have been conducting checks on all school buses. We shall be looking into the incident and the vehicle in coordination with the police," an RTO official said.