Pillion rider crushed by BEST bus after biker applies sudden brake to avoid hitting pedestrian crossing Andheri road in Mumbai

Mumbai: A 26-year-old pillion rider, Ayesha Salmani, was killed when her office colleague suddenly applied the brake to avoid hitting a pedestrian, causing her to fall off the bike and come under the rear tyre of a BEST bus on Marol Maroshi Road in Andheri (East) on Tuesday evening.

MIDC police arrested the biker, Ashuthosh Singh, 28, for rash and negligent riding and causing death due to negligence on a complaint filed by Salmani’s father. Singh was later released on bail.

The incident took place around 7pm, when Singh was dropping Salmani, who was employed as an accountant, to her Sakinaka residence on his bike.

“We went through the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the spot and found that the biker lost control of the vehicle and it skidded before the woman was thrown off to the right side and came under the BEST bus,” said a police officer. The bus driver realised that he had run over someone only after people raised an alarm and signalled him to stop the vehicle.

“Singh, who suffered minor bruises, said he lost control of the bike when he was forced to apply brakes as someone suddenly ran across the road, which does not have a divider,” said a police officer. “Locals, who witnessed the mishap, said the biker lost control of the vehicle and fell on the left, while the woman fell on the right and came under the rear tyre of the BEST bus.”

Local residents alleged that similar incidents have occurred in the past as there is no divider on the busy Marol Maroshi Road at Bhavani Nagar. “The bike may have skidded due to the sand on the concrete road which was relaid a week ago. The woman pillion rider would have survived with injuries had there been a divider on this stretch,” said local activist Vikas Bali.

Singh was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 106 (1) (causing death due to negligence), 125 (b) (endangering life or personal safety of others) and 281 (rash driving).