The Kurla police, investigating the fatal BEST bus accident that claimed seven lives and left 42 others injured, are not satisfied with the statement from the accused, Sanjay More, who claimed he lost control of the vehicle.
As a result, the authorities have reached out to the bus manufacturer, Olectra, to examine the bus’s design and manufacturing mechanisms, and to explore whether it’s possible for a driver with over 30 years of experience to accidentally apply the accelerator.
Earlier, the police said it was a deliberate attempt to kill people and More had used the bus as a weapon to harm people due to which any section of the Motor Vehicle Act have not been applied. Instead, he has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation to understand exactly what led to the accident. We have contacted the bus manufacturer to determine whether it’s possible for an experienced driver, who has been driving since 1989, to lose control of the vehicle,” said an officer.
The electric bus, operated by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and manufactured by Olectra, dashed into several pedestrians and collided with vehicles on Monday night. The 12-metre-long bus continued its destructive path for 100 metres before crashing into a pillar at Solomon Residency. More was arrested at the scene.
Police have also requested details from BEST regarding its training programme for drivers.
“More claims he was given only one day of training before being assigned to drive the automatic electric bus. We want to verify if he received adequate training and to identify the person who trained him. We also want to understand their training programme for the drivers,” the officer added.
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