5 days Ago By Gitesh Shelke
1 2 Pune: A 16-year-old Std XII student, who was standing near the door of a PMPML bus, fell off the vehicle when the driver, according to police, suddenly accelerated and braked hard within a few feet near the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) bus stop around 7.15am on Saturday. Police said the girl suffered a serious head injury and lost consciousness after the fall.
She is now in hospital where her condition is said to be stable. A case of rash and negligent driving has been registered against the bus driver who has also been suspended pending an investigation. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Authorities said the girl was about to get off the bus at the next stop, near her college adjacent to the CID office at Pashan, when she fell out of the front door.
"The bus driver first accelerated and then suddenly applied the brakes which threw the girl off balance. She was standing near a seat close to the door but was not on its steps. There was no traffic on the road for the bus driver to suddenly accelerate and then apply the brakes.
So we registered a case of rash driving," said sub inspector Shamal Patil of Chatushrungi police. Patil added: "We will record her statement as soon as she recovers. For now, we have a statement from a passenger who witnessed the incident.
" The police officer said the girl is from Parner in Ahilyanagar and was in Pune for higher studies. "She stays with her aunt in Sus. She boarded the bus at a stop along the Katraj-Dehu Road bypass," Patil said.
The bus, a CNG vehicle, operates out of the Upper Indiranagar depot of PMPML. Police said it was going from Ghotawade Phata near Pirangut to Market Yard in the city. PMPML too has opened an investigation into the incident.
A senior official from the transport service said: "Our team visited the spot and also met the girl's family in hospital. On Monday, we'll hand over a cheque of Rs 50,000 to the family to cover her treatment costs. What we know is the student boarded the bus at the NCL stop and fell when the bus had moved 10-15 feet.
Our investigation is on, but it's suspected that she likely jumped out for unknown reasons." The official added that it was the driver who took the injured girl to hospital. "He has been suspended and faces an inquiry," the PMPML official said.
Transport officials also said the bus is an old BRT-compliant vehicle without functional doors or an onboard CCTV camera. "It's more than 11 years old and was about to be scrapped. Its doors were not working," another PMPML official said.
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