Gurugram: 21-year-old killed, 10 injured in car-bus collision at Palam Chowk

Victim died on the spot during U-turn attempt; 10 injured, FIR filed against bus driver, arrest pending as he remains hospitalised.

A 21-year-old man was killed and at least 10 others were injured after a collision between a Maruti Suzuki Alto and a Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) bus at Palam Chowk on Sunday morning, police said.

Accident at Palam Chowk around 6.45am; impact crushed car under bus, driver’s airbag deployed but failed to save him. (HT)

The accident took place at around 6.45am when the Alto driver, identified as Sambhav Nigam, attempted to navigate a U-turn and was hit by the bus head-on with the GMCBL bus at an intersection near Palam Chowk, officers said. The bus was en route from the Gurugram Sector 12 bus stand to Dundahera village, they added.

Nigam, a resident of Sector 41 in Gurugram, died on the spot due to the impact, police said. The bus driver and at least 10 passengers sustained minor injuries. “The car was at high speed and the driver was trying to take a U-turn when he hit the bus. The driver of the bus also sustained injuries and was rushed to Civil Hospital in Sector 10A, where he is receiving treatment,” Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said.

Police identified the bus driver as a 34-year-old contractual employee of GMCBL and a resident of Alwar, Rajasthan. According to police, the impact was severe, leaving the car completely damaged, with its front portion crushed under the bus. The airbag on the driver’s side had deployed but failed to prevent Nigam’s death. The bus also suffered heavy frontal damage, with its front glass shattered.

Nigam’s mother filed a complaint against the bus driver, following which a case was registered at Palam Vihar police station under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 125A (act endangering life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

No arrest has been made so far as the bus driver remains under treatment. “The bus driver was injured and is receiving treatment in the civil hospital in Sector 10. He will be arrested only after he is declared medically fit by the doctors,” Turan said.