A 25-YEAR-old man was killed in a tragic road accident near Powai Plaza in Mumbai on Monday night, shortly after returning from Chhath Puja celebrations with his family.
The victim, identified as Rahul Vivekama, was riding pillion on a scooter with his sister when a speeding private travel bus hit them from behind, dragging him under its front wheel.
According to the Powai Police, Vivekama and his family — residents of Wadala East — had gone to Pawarwadi Ghat to perform the Chhath Puja rituals. While returning around 8 pm, Vivekama`s parents and twin brother left separately, while he and his sister Diya followed on their Honda Activa.
When their two-wheeler reached near the Powai Plaza signal on Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) around 8.15 pm, a white-and-blue private travel bus allegedly came from behind at high speed. The driver, the police said, drove rashly and dangerously close to their two-wheeler. Diya lost control and fell to the side of the road, while Vivekama was flung ahead and came directly under the bus’s front wheel.
“The front wheel of the bus ran over his head, causing severe bleeding injuries,” a police officer said. Pedestrians rushed to stop the vehicle and alerted the police, but by then, the driver had fled the spot, abandoning the bus.
“The family had gone out to offer prayers for Chhath Puja, and within an hour, they lost their son,” said the officer.
Vivekama was taken to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where doctors declared him dead before admission.
Police have booked the unidentified driver under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act and Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 for rash and negligent driving leading to death.
Vivekama worked for a private firm, while his father drives a tempo and his brother is employed at a hotel in Dadar, the police said.
Efforts are underway to trace the absconding bus driver through CCTV footage from the area and vehicle registration records, said police.
