Accident: IT employee, one of nine injured, dies in BEST accident caused by drunk passenger

Mumbai: A 26-year-old tax official, who was one of the nine people killed in an unusual BEST Bus Accident in Lalbaug, died late Sunday.
The official, Nupura Maniyarwas riding pillion with her fiancé when the bus struck her motorcycle at around 8.30pm on Sunday. The couple were planning their wedding next month.
The accident was caused by a drunk passenger who tried to take over the steering wheel during a scuffle with the driver of the BEST bus on route 66. The Kalachowkie police have arrested the unemployed Datta Murlidhar Shinde (40) on BNS basis.
The bus was on its way to Rani Laxmibai Chowk in Sion on Dr. Ambedkar Road in Lalbaug when the accident occurred.
According to Kalachowkie police, the injured were Sonam Shete (30), Pawan Shetty (35), Parag Parab (34), Shivang Kegde (23), Ramzaan Khan (21), Sagar Telenge (28), Prathmesh Hanjankar (28) and Nikhil Tiladkar (26) and were admitted to BMC-run KEM Hospital and Global Hospital in Parel.
Nupura Maniyar, who was suffering from severe abdominal bleeding, could not be saved despite all efforts, said doctors at KEM Hospital.
A close friend of Maniyar's family said that Nupura got a job in the IT department in place of her father after his father died of Covid in 2020. The family had just recovered from the father's death when Nupura tragically died, said the friend, who wished to remain anonymous.
Kalachowkie station police officials said the trouble started when drunk Shinde had a heated argument with the bus driver. “Shinde asked the bus driver Kamlesh Prajapati to steer the bus to the left and stop as he wanted to get off. When Prajapati said he could not stop without a schedule as it was an air-conditioned bus, the situation escalated,” said Sanjay Mohite, senior inspector of Kalachowkie police.
Shinde, who used to drive an autorickshaw, suddenly grabbed the steering wheel, causing the driver to lose control. As a result, the bus veered off the track and hit two motorcycles, a car and several pedestrians. He also has a previous offence registered against him under Section 324 of the Indian Penal Code for causing hurt.