Kolkata: A 57-year-old woman was run over by a bus and died while trying to cross BK Pal Avenue near the Ahiritola Sarbojin pandal spot on Monday morning. The bus was plying on route 215A (Salt Lake to Howrah). It was a bus plying on the same route that killed a student earlier this month in Salt Lake.
Cops said, prima facie it seems that the woman fell in the blind spot of the bus driver.IPL 2025 mega auctionIPL Auction 2025: Who went where and for how muchIPL 2025 All Team Squads: Complete list of players of each franchise
According to police, the woman, Tara Yadav, was trying to cross the road while the bus was negotiating a turn. The incident, however, has yet again raised questions about the role of the conductor, whose job is to guide the driver, especially while taking a turn.
"The woman fell on the road after being hit and rolled under the tyres," said an investigating officer.
Eyewitnesses said the driver was not speeding. There are 67 buses plying on this route, a 21-km stretch for which there is intense competition, said cops. Yadav, a resident of Biprada Dey Lane near Shyampukur, was rushed to RG Kar Hospital where she was declared dead. The driver managed to flee from the spot. Cops said they are in the process of arresting him.
"Statistics show that bus accidents take place primarily due to three reasons: one, passengers trying to get off moving buses or trying to cross right in front of the bus; two, two-wheelers overtaking from the left and then suddenly coming in front of the bus; and three, sudden efforts of illegal crossovers by pedestrians, mostly from the left side of the direction the bus is moving (close to the vehicle). In all three cases, installing blind spot mirrors at the earliest will help in cutting down such types of accidents," said an officer at Lalbazar.
"Bus operators are being told to stop buses only at proper stops and reminded that the conductor has to play the role of a helper as well. We tried harping on this point. Now we will book conductors along with drivers too," added the officer.