Guj: Angry locals set ablaze 2 buses after one vehicle mows down senior citizen in Bharuch

PTI, Feb 1, 2022, 2:47 PM IST

Amob of around 100 people torched two private buses carrying employees of a company on the outskirts of Gujarat’s Bharuch town after one of the vehicles mowed down and killed an elderly man, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Dahej bypass road on Monday night, but no one was injured in the mob violence as all passengers of the two buses of the Dahej-based firm got down before the vehicles were set ablaze, Bharuch ‘A’ division police station’s inspector A K Bharwad said. According to the police, one of the buses ran over a senior citizen near Sherpura village in Bharuch on Monday night.

The police have lodged two separate FIRs- in connection with the death of the man and the torching of buses by the mob. ”Some locals got angry when a senior citizen, Ismail Manchwala (65), died after being hit by one of the company buses at Sherpur bus stop around 9 pm,” Bharwad said. ”Later, the two buses were set ablaze by a mob of around 100 locals. No one was injured as all the company employees got down quickly,” the official said.

As per one of the FIRs, Manchwala, a resident of Sherpura village, was run over by one of the buses while he was crossing the road at the bus stop. The man suffered a head injury and died on the spot.

A case of rash driving and causing death by negligence was registered against the unidentified bus driver, who fled from the spot after the accident.

”Some angry residents of Sherpura gathered on the road and torched that bus after all the employees alighted. They then stopped another company bus and took away its keys after assaulting the driver and some workers. The mob set fire to that bus also after all the workers got down,” Bharwad said.

A separate FIR on charges of assault and rioting was registered against a mob of around 100 people, the official said. After being alerted, local fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and doused the flames, he said. No arrest has been made so far, the official said.