Toddler killed, grandmother injured as school bus runs over family in Mumbai's Girgaon

The boy’s five-year-old cousin sister escaped with minor injuries to her leg; the bus driver, Sambhaji Vakhare, has been detained.

MUMBAI: A one-year-old boy was killed and his 68-year-old grandmother was seriously injured after a school bus hit them while they were crossing a narrow street in Girgaon’s Khetwadi area on Tuesday afternoon. The boy’s five-year-old cousin sister, who was with them, escaped with minor injuries to her leg.

Aveer’s last rites were carried out at Chandanwadi Crematorium later on Tuesday. (ANSHUMAN POYREKAR/HT PHOTO)

The deceased was identified as Aveer Vyas. The accident occurred around 12.15 pm, police said, when Aveer’s grandmother, Chandrakala Vyas, took him along to pick up his cousin sister from her school bus stop at the Nirman Niketan Society in Khetwadi. The girl has not been identified by the police.

After the girl got down from the school bus, Chandrakala, carrying Aveer in one arm and holding the girl’s hand, attempted to cross the road from the front of the stationary vehicle. At that moment, the bus driver, Sambhaji Vakhare, 46, allegedly started the vehicle, hitting all three.

Aveer, who was in his grandmother’s arms, came under the front wheel of the bus and died on the spot. Chandrakala sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Girgaon, while the five-year-old girl suffered minor injuries.

The bus driver, Vakhare, has been detained, and police said they are in the process of registering an offence against him.

Aveer’s last rites were carried out at Chandanwadi Crematorium later on Tuesday. He had celebrated his first birthday in December, and it was a very happy time for the family, said Sanjay Sharma, a relative. The Vyases live at Shreepati Castle, a high-rise in Khetwadi.

According to the police, Aveer did not usually accompany Chandrakala when she went to pick up her granddaughter. “On Tuesday, Aveer started crying and insisted that his grandmother take him along to pick up his cousin from the bus stop. She then took him along with her,” said a police officer.