Pothole claims Thane BJP leader’s life in Bhiwandi

The Kongaon police said the accident was caused because the bus hit one of the many potholes on the road and collided with the car of Gurunath Waman Lasne.

The vice-president of Thane district’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)unit, Gurunath Waman Lasne, died on Monday, after his car was hit by a private mini bus which lost balance on hitting a pothole at Saravali village in Bhiwandi.

The bus lost balance after it hit a pothole near Om Sai Garden in Saravali pada. (Rishikesh Choudhary/HT)

The Kongaon police said the accident was caused because the bus hit one of the many potholes on the road and collided with the car.

The police said Lasne, who is in his 40s, was driving to his home in Parivali, Bhiwandi.

The incident took place at 6am when the mini bus, ferrying eight to nine workers of a company, was heading in the opposite direction towards Mumbai. The bus lost balance after it hit a pothole near Om Sai Garden in Saravali pada.

The bus driver lost control, hit the divider, toppled onto the other side of the road and hit the car. The car also turned turtle and Lasne, who suffered severe head injuries, died on the spot. A case has been registered against the bus driver who fled the spot. “It has been found that there are potholes on the road because of which the bus driver lost control and hit the divider, turned turtle and hit Lasne’s car,” said R Katkar, senior inspector.

“We are searching for the bus driver and checking about the mini bus,” he said.