Racing Blueline brings tragedy to many

In a bid to swoop down on early morning passengers on Sunday, an errant Blueline-bus driver damaged a Delhi Police van; hurt its lone occupant, a constable who was about to end an uneventful night shift; spoilt the homecoming of two sisters and claimed the life of a 26-year-old who was bringing his newly wed wife home.

In a bid to swoop down on early morning passengers on Sunday, an errant Blueline-bus driver damaged a Delhi Police van; hurt its lone occupant, a constable who was about to end an uneventful night shift; spoilt the homecoming of two sisters and claimed the life of a 26-year-old who was bringing his newly wed wife home.

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"My aunt and mother were returning from our home in Etah, Uttar Pradesh. They got off at the Anand Vihar ISBT before boarding a DTC bus to get to their respective homes. They were injured because they were being extra careful about some gifts that our relatives wanted them to give us," said Gaurav Kumar, whose mother Asha (35) and aunt Gyano (32) were hurt in the accident.

The speeding Blueline bus, which has a permit that is about to expire, went out of control after scraping against the footpath while descending the Kashmere Gate ISBT flyover before ramming into 12 bystanders.

"It all happened in a flash… the bus appeared and ran all of us over. The driver panicked and stopped after he ran into a police van. Then, in a bid to escape, he reversed the bus and ran over us again," said Asha, as she limped out of the casualty ward at Bara Hindu Rao Hospital.

Police sources said the errant driver panicked after he hit the police van, but managed to escape because its occupant, a constable posted at Kashmere Gate police station, got unconscious after the impact.

The biggest tragedy befell 22-year-old Harjeet Kaur, whose husband Pyara Singh died in the accident.

"While she slipped into a temporary coma, her husband died immediately. It was fortunate that she didn't see him. She erupted in grief before falling completely silent. Her in-laws said they wanted her back home safe after losing their son. They have requested for his body after the autopsy concludes tomorrow," said a senior officer investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, the police are looking for the absconding driver. Ranjit Singh, the bus owner, is being questioned.