Mumbai: A 28-year-old woman, Nupur Maniyar, lost her life in a tragic accident at Lalbaug Junction after a drunk passenger seized control of a BEST bus’s steering wheel. The bus went out of control, colliding with two cars and a motorcycle, and striking nine pedestrians nearby.
Nupur, a resident of Lalbaug and an employee of the Income Tax Department, succumbed to her injuries at the scene. She is survived by her mother, younger sister, and her fiancé – Prathamesh Hajankar, 28, also from Lalbaug, who injured both his legs – was among the nine injured in the accident.
The accused, Datta Murlidhar Shinde, 40, a professional driver and resident of Lalbaug Cha Raja Society, was reportedly intoxicated when he boarded bus number 738 (MH01 CV8815), a wet lease bus of ‘Olectra’ attached to the Kalakilla depot in Dharavi. The incident took place around 8:20 pm near Ganesh Talkies on Sane Guruji Marg, close to the Lalbaug signal.
According to officials, the bus was en route from Bhatiya Baug to Rani Laxmibai Chowk when Shinde began causing a disturbance, insisting on getting off at the signal where the bus was not scheduled to stop. Despite efforts by the conductor to calm him and request that he wait for the next stop, Shinde forcibly grabbed the steering wheel in an attempt to halt the bus. This led to the driver losing control of the vehicle, which then collided with nine vehicles and struck ten pedestrians, including Nupur, who was riding an Activa motorcycle with her fiancé. Nupur Subhash Maniyar is a resident of Chinchpokli East in Lalbaug.
According to the Kalachowki police, who are investigating the case, Nupur’s Activa motorcycle was struck by the BEST bus, and the bus’s wheels ran over her body. It has been reported that Nupur and her fiancé had plans to marry after Ganesh Utsav, and they were out shopping on Sunday night when the accident occurred.
Following the collision, Nupur began to vomit blood, while her fiancé sustained fractures to his legs and upper body. Nupur was rushed to KEM Hospital but was declared dead due to severe injuries to her abdomen and legs, which led to critical fractures and significant blood loss.
On Monday, her body was returned to her family for final rites. Nupur’s father, who also worked in the Income Tax Department, passed away during the COVID pandemic, after which Nupur secured her job. Meanwhile, her fiancé is receiving treatment at Global Hospital in Parel.
Shinde, who was arrested by the Kalachowki police on Sunday night, was presented in court on Monday morning. The court has remanded him to judicial custody. According to police, Shinde is known to be a ‘karyakarta’ (worker) of the Lalbaug Cha Raja Ganpati Mandal and has a history of disruptive behavior linked to alcohol consumption. The police noted that Shinde had been previously detained several times for causing disturbances and engaging in altercations with locals after drinking.
The other injured individuals have been identified as follows: Sonal Shete, 30, from Lower Parel, who sustained injuries to her leg and chest; Pavan Kumar Shetty, 35, also from Lower Parel, who injured his knees and sustained bruises; Parag Parab, 34, a resident of Pratiksha Nagar, Sion, who injured his knee; Shivang Kogade, 23, from Santacruz, who suffered injuries to his left thigh, right hand, and back; Ramzan Khan, 21, a resident of Antop Hill, who injured his right shoulder and back; Sagar Telang, 28, from Lalbaug, who injured his back; and Nikhil Tilodkar, 26, from Santacruz, who sustained injuries to his back.
