Did Mumbai BEST driver use bus as a ‘weapon’? Police seek court nod for deeper probe into Kurla accident

The Mumbai Police told a magistrate's court it needed to investigate driver Sanjay More's intention in committing the crime and if there was any conspiracy.

Mumbai BEST bus accident updates: The Mumbai Police on Tuesday sought from a court custody of the driver of an electric bus – operated by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) – that fatally knocked down seven persons and injured 42 others in Kurla West, saying they need to probe if he had committed the act “deliberately” and used the vehicle as a “weapon”.

Kurla bus accident accused driver Sanjay More being produced in a court in Mumbai on Tuesday. (PTI)

Accepting the Mumbai Police's plea after arguments, the court remanded Sanjay More (54), who was at the wheel of the ill-fated bus, to their custody till December 21. Details have reportedly emerged that Sanjay More had no experience of driving electric vehicles and had undergone only a 10-day training for steering EVs.

What Mumbai Police told court

• The Mumbai Police produced Sanjay More before a magistrate's court and sought his remand, citing the crime was serious and a thorough investigation was needed.
• The police also submitted that they needed to investigate the accused's intention in committing the crime and if there was any conspiracy.
• The police added that they needed to probe if the driver used the bus in his possession as a “weapon”, and drove it recklessly in a congested area, endangering the lives of passengers and pedestrians.
• The police also told the court it was necessary to investigate if Sanjay More had received the training to drive the bus and if he was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the crash.
• The police said the transport department was yet to examine the bus involved in the accident.
• The police said the driver had no experience driving EVs. More had undergone only a 10-day training for driving electric buses, he allegedly told the police after his arrest.

What driver Sanjay More's lawyer said

• Opposing the Mumbai Police's remand plea, Sanjay More's lawyer, Samadhan Sulane, said the accident could have occurred due to a “technical fault” in the bus.
• The lawyer argued that it was the administration's responsibility to thoroughly check vehicles before handing them over to drivers.
• After hearing arguments from both sides, the court remanded More to police custody till December 21.

‘Driver was not under influence of alcohol’

During his interrogation, Sanjay More told the police he had started driving BEST's electric buses only since December 1, and prior to that he drove mini buses, an official told news agency PTI.

Police found More mentally alert during the interrogation, and primary medical reports suggested he was not under the influence of alcohol, the official added.

The 12-metre-long bus, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech, was examined by forensic science experts and Regional Transport Officers to ascertain if it had any mechanical failures that led to the accident.

What happened on Monday night

An out-of-control e-bus operated by the civic-run BEST undertaking rammed into pedestrians and vehicles at around 9.30pm on Monday on the SG Barve Marg in Kurla (West). By Tuesday, the toll in the deadly crash rose to seven, while 42 others were injured, including four policemen, who were on 'bandobast' duty at the time in the area.

Also, 22 vehicles were damaged. Locals caught More after the accident, and thrashed him before handing him over to police, PTI reported.

He was later arrested and booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 118 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons or substances), 118 (2) (causing grievous hurt using dangerous weapons or harmful methods), police said.

(With inputs from PTI)