Gurugram woman severely hurt after being pushed from GMCBL bus

A woman in Gurugram was severely injured after being pushed from a crowded bus. The bus crew and passengers did not come forward to help her.

Gurugram: A 32-year-old woman was severely injured after allegedly being pushed from a crowded GMCBL bus at Atul Kataria Chowk soon after she boarded it to reach her office, Gurugram police said on Sunday.

Gurugram, India-July 02, 2023: The accident spot at Atul Kataria chowk where a woman was severely injured after she allegedly got pushed out of a crowded and moving bus of Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited on June 14, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, 02 July 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustnan Times)(Pic to go with Debashish Karmakar's story)

The woman, who is a resident of Sector 4, was rushed to the Government Hospital in Sector 10A (almost 8kilometres away) in an autorickshaw as neither the bus crew nor any of its passengers came forward to her help.

According to police, the Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) bus plies on route number 215B — one of the most crowded GMCBL routes carrying passengers from Gurugram bus depot to Dundahera near the Delhi border.

Investigators said the injured woman had caught hold of a handlebar at the rear door of the bus to save herself and was dragged for at least 100 metres during which one of her legs came beneath the rear wheels, causing a severe fracture.

As per police, doctors at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi have performed at least three surgeries on her legs of which one was for fixing the fracture on the left leg and two more for grafting muscles and skin on both the legs after entirely removing those which were damaged due to the accident.

“The bus, which was completely crowded, started to move after she climbed up from the rear gate to reach her Udyog Vihar office. She was repeatedly urging some male passengers at the entrance to give her space to move inside but no one cared. Suddenly, she was pushed and was thrown out of the bus,” Kumar alleged.

Kumar said her wife managed to get hold of the handlebar and was clinging onto it while screaming for the bus to stop.

“Almost after getting dragged for 75-100 metres, the bus stopped after some of the passengers raised an alarm, and the conductor came out. However, looking at Sunita’s torn legs, he ran inside the bus, and it sped away,” Kumar added.

Kumar also alleged that no one came for their help even after he tried to stop a few cars. “Finally, I rushed her to the Sector 10 government hospital in an autorickshaw. Doctors kept her there for three hours after which they referred her to the trauma centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national Capital,” Kumar said.

“Later, we shifted her to Safdarjung Hospital where surgeries were performed. She was transfused with 14 units of blood of which five units were provided by AIIMS and the rest I arranged with the help of relatives. Doctors fear she may lose her legs if the operations remain unsuccessful. In case everything is okay, they said it may take almost a year for her to recover but she might not be able to walk normally ever again,” Kumar said.

Kumar said his wife’s accident also snatched his source of livelihood as a non-banking financial firm seized his autorickshaw three days back since he could not pay its monthly installment. “I purchased it in February this year for ₹3.75 lakh. I have three minor children to take care of and pay hospital bills, but everything is now on the mercy of the almighty,” he added.

On Sunita’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the bus crew under Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 337 (hurting any person by acting rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Palam Vihar police station on Sunday, police said.

GC Yadav, GMCBL manager (administration), said they have no knowledge about the accident. “We will get the matter inquired urgently and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty in the case,” he said.

“I have just come to know about the incident and directed my subordinates to check the roster to ascertain who was the driver and conductor on the said route on that day. We will fully support the police in case of any investigation,” Yadav added.

Meanwhile, Subhash Boken, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said they will soon approach the GMCBL authorities for an investigation. “GMCBL buses are equipped with CCTV cameras. We will try to access the footage and will take necessary action,” he added.