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The human toll of reckless driving in Mumbai: How families of accident victims are coping
Hindustan Times spoke to four families whose lives were turned upside down in recent months by reckless driving to find out how they were coping
MUMBAI: For any developed city in the world, the first priority in terms of mobility infrastructure planning are always pedestrians, followed by cyclists, public transport and then private vehicles. In India’s financial capital, not only is this order reversed, but being a pedestrian, cyclist or two-wheeler rider is akin to having a death wish.
The horrific accident in Kurla earlier this month, when a BEST bus ploughed through several pedestrians and vehicles on a narrow, crowded street, killing nine people and injuring 40 others, is only the tip of the iceberg. At least 298 people have died and 1,671 others have been injured in 2,271 road accidents in Mumbai this year.
“Many accidents involve heavy or public and utility vehicles, where drivers are often observed to be careless or untrained,” said Anil Kumbhare, joint commissioner of police (traffic). That appears to be the case with the Kurla accident too, with the police saying that the driver hadn’t received adequate training to drive an electric bus. In a country where all it takes to get a driving licence is managing to go in a circle around a ground, it was par for the course.
While the Kurla accident is still somewhat in the daily news cycle because of its recency, it won’t be long before it’s relegated to just another entry in the statistics log. In a city with over 21 million people and growing, the victims of the tragedy—like all others—will soon be forgotten.
Survivors and the families of victims of road accidents aren’t so lucky. The accident is likely to stay with them, whether physically or mentally, for the rest of their lives. Hindustan Times spoke to four such families whose lives were turned upside down in recent months by reckless driving to find out how they were coping and what’s the status of the investigation.
They are all still waiting for justice.
Pinaki Dey, 59:
Despite being a Bengali, Pinaki Dey hated fish curry. Just to annoy him, his wife Reema used to pick up something from his plate with her fishy fingers. “I want to remember him dancing at our get togethers, organising parties, being the life of social meets. Our fights, our Tom and Jerry relationship...those memories of our 32-year-old marriage are all I have now. I do not know how I will survive without him, but I must fight to get justice for him,” said Reema.
A cheerful, affable foodie who was the life of every party and loved by everyone he knew, Pinaki was about to cross a road in south Mumbai to get dinner when he was hit by a motorbike being driven by a minor boy on October 23. The accident occurred outside Sir HN Reliance Foundation in Girgaon, where Reema was admitted for surgery at the time.
“Pinaki hated hospital food,” said Reema. “I told him to eat in the [hospital] canteen, but he insisted on grabbing a bite outside. He didn’t even get his last meal.” Dey was put on life support for two days before he passed away. “He always came back after dinner to be at my bedside but that day he did not return,” she added.
Reema, who is still recuperating from her surgery, said the minor boy who was riding the motorbike was merely served a notice of appearance and allowed to go, while the owner of the bike has been made a co-accused in the case. “For years now, I will have to struggle to get justice and my husband’s dues, and all his killer got was a slap on his wrist just because he is a minor.”
Reema recalled the moment she heard about her husband’s accident. “I wept at my misfortune that I was unable to get up from bed due to my surgery, unaware that at that precise moment he was struggling on the road, bleeding profusely, gawked at by soulless idiots who made videos instead of helping him,” she said.
She added that she had heard mothers being proud of their teenaged sons and daughters being able to drive. “But what they do not realise is that a family is broken if their inexperienced underage drivers kill someone.”
Dikshit Rajput, 27:
Days of losing his elder brother to an accident, 26-year-old Vivek Rajput is still looking for evidence establishing negligence to nail his killer.
His brother, Dikshit Rajput, was returning home with dinner for his family when a BEST bus hit him near the Shivaji Nagar junction in Govandi on December 15. “We always ate together and despite attending parties and get-togethers, Dikshit always dined with us,” said Vivek.
Recalling the day of the accident, Vivek said, “Around 12.30 am, my mother received a call. The caller, a police officer, informed her that my brother had met with an accident. By the time we reached the hospital, the doctors had declared him dead.”
Although the police have booked the BEST bus driver, 39-year-old Vinod Rankhambe, for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and arrested him immediately after the incident, he was released on bail later in the day. While the police’s investigation is ongoing, Vivek is carrying out his own probe.
“I checked the CCTV footage of the area and there was no surveillance video of the particular spot, but it is clear that the driver picked up sudden speed after stopping at a bus stop. After the accident, the driver stepped on the brakes crossing over 20 meters from the spot of accident, leaving Dikshit bleeding profusely,” he said.
Dikshit was a member of the non-teaching staff at a reputed college in Vidyavihar and was very popular with the students due to his dedication and commitment to the job, said his brother. Dikshit had quit his education so that he could financially support the family. “As an elder brother, he has sacrificed a lot for me. And now, all I have is his bike to remember him. The bike too remains with the police since the RTO has not completed their examination yet,” said Vivek.
Vivek added that his brother was always the obedient one among the two siblings and was the apple of his mother’s eye. “He was my lifeline,” said Lakshmi, Dikshit’s mother. “I still look at the door, hoping he will walk in some day. The carelessness of one person has cost our family to lose our precious son.”
Vipul Panchal, 44:
“My life changed completely in a matter of seconds,” said Vipul Panchal, the survivor of a freak accident on the Eastern Express Highway on December 14.
The 44-year-old was returning home to Kandivali from Navi Mumbai on his motorcycle when the driver of a large trailer truck carrying an earth piling machine lost control over the vehicle while descending the Pant Nagar bridge. The 44-tonne machine fell off the trailer onto Panchal, severing his left leg under the knee.
“I will not be able to drive my bike anymore and will always have to be dependent until I get a prosthetic leg,” said Panchal, lying on a hospital bed. “I am supposed to support my family and not the other way around.”
The trailer driver was served a notice to appear before the police for investigation and allowed to go. “He told us that the steering wheel of the trailer got jammed, due to which the crane tilted and the machine fell. We are still awaiting a report from the RTO, which checked the health of the vehicle,” said police sub inspector Yogesh Chinchole from the Deonar police station.
Panchal’s family isn’t buying the trailer driver’s story. “If the steering wheel was jammed and the crane tilted, why didn’t the trailer cabin tilt?” said Nilesh Panchal, Vipul’s cousin and business partner. “The driver was unharmed, which indicates that it was his negligence and not a malfunction. A weight of 44 tonnes fell on Vipul’s left leg as he fell. His right leg was saved only because it was under his bike.”
Poonam Kharwa, 36:
“Every day, I stand at the same spot and recollect the horrific incident and see my mother withering in pain,” said Sahil Kharwa. “I try to forget it, but the crying faces of my sister and brother keep reminding me of the incident again and again.”
At the age of 14, Sahil was left to fend for himself and his three younger siblings after their mother, Poonam, was killed in an accident in August. The family of five—Poonam and her four children—were homeless and lived under the Elphinstone flyover near Kamala Mills in Lower Parel. On August 2, Poonam was mowed down while she was crossing the road by an SUV taking a U-turn.
According to the police, Akshay Kishore Patel, a 28-year-old software engineer who only had a learner’s licence, was at the wheel. The car, a Tata Punch, belonged to his colleague Harshita Ahuja, who was in the passenger’s seat. Patel was charged for rash driving and was given a notice to be present for investigation. The police are now preparing a charge-sheet against the driver.
Poonam used to make flower garlands, which Sahil sold in the Lower Parel area. Now, the 14-year-old has been left to fend for himself and his three younger siblings. “I am too young, and no one is ready to employ me yet. Now, I sell Christmas hats and other decoration at a traffic signal to feed my siblings,” said Sahil.
“My mother used to earn at least ₹600 per day, which was enough to feed us, and she also saved some amount. Now, we are left with nothing. I drop my siblings at my uncle’s house in Tardeo and come to this spot to sell Christmas hats, and can make just ₹300-400 per day,” he added.
Sahil, who is trying to put Roshni and Amir in a government school to secure their future, wants justice for his mother. “She is not here to speak up, but I am and will fight till the accused is punished for his recklessness.”
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