Chennai: A 17-year-old class XII student on a joyride was fatally knocked down on Wednesday while overtaking an MTC bus on Dr Radhakrishnan Salai when he lost balance after hitting a pedestrian. The appalling incident took place when the parents of the deceased had gone to Ramnad to take part in the funeral of the boy’s uncle.
The deceased, G. Mahesh (17), resident of Mandaiveli and student of Don Bosco School, Perambur was riding back home after visiting his friends in Royapettah when the mishap occurred at around 10.30 am.
The accident threw traffic out of gear as passersby blamed the bus driver for rash driving and blocked the traffic for about 30 minutes. A section of the irate mob also stoned the bus. Cops from Adyar Traffic Investigation wing pacified the protesters and moved the body to the Government Royapettah Hospital.
Since his father Ganesh had left the keys of the bike at home, Mahesh decided to go on a joyride with his friends to celebrate the Onam holiday. Mahesh attempted to overtake the bus while driving on the one-way VM Street stretch near the junction with the Royapettah high road which connects Luz with R.K. Salai.
A pedestrian came in the bike’s path before teenager could fully pass the bus and Mahesh knocked him down. In the process, he lost his balance and came under the front wheels of the bus while his pillion rider and classmate-Balakrishnan had a narrow escape as he was thrown away from the wheels of the bus in the impact. Mahesh suffered a grievous head injury and died on the spot.
The MTC route 21 G bus was plying towards Broadway from Tambaram and Doraisamy (42), of Ayanavaram was behind the wheel when the accident occurred. Though the protesters blamed the driver for his rash driving, the cops reasoned with the protesters citing that the boy, who was neither wearing a helmet nor possessed a valid driving licence, was riding the bike in a dangerous manner. The bus driver was still booked on charges of rash and negligent and was being remanded to judicial custody.
