Two bike-borne men in Kerala, narrowly escaped a fatal accident after their bike fell between the wheels of two buses near Diwanji corner in the heart of Thrissur town at 2.30pm on Saturday.
According to Ashik Thomas, the pillion rider who fell into a narrow gap between the two vehicles, the avoidable accident was allegedly caused by a private bus which raced ahead and hit their bike from behind.
Ashik alleges that the accused staff of the Chirayath bus plying the Kunnangulam- Thrissur route was drunk when the incident took place on Saturday. However, the traffic police who arrived at the incident did not do a breath analysis or any blood tests, he says.
“My friend and I were riding from Ollur to our workplace - Hyson motors in Puzhakkal - on Saturday afternoon. When we stopped at the Diwanji corner signal, there was a bus stationed on the left which was waiting for people to board. We were on the right. Suddenly, the Chirayath bus came and hit us from behind. We lost balance and my friend who rode the bike fell in front and I landed in between the wheels of both buses with the bike,” Ashik tells TNM.
According to Ashik, the bus staff engaged in an argument with him and his friend, even as bystanders gathered to question the staff on rash driving.
“They kept threatening us to file a complaint at the police station. They were also smelling of alcohol, we could tell,” Ashik alleged.
The two men had sustained minor muscular injuries and were sent by the traffic cops to the district hospital. However, the staff of the private bus refused to accompany them and instead sent an accomplice.
“This stranger who was sent by the bus staff came with us to the station. When we had to get medicines for our injuries, he said he will go out and buy and then absconded. They did not even compensate us for the injuries,” Ashik says.
The duo filed a complaint with the Thrissur east police station where officials promised to call the bus staff to the station and question them on 10:30 am Sunday.
“We reached the police station at 9 am and waited till 11:30 on Sunday afternoon. But the staff had not arrived at the station,” Ashik added.
Speaking to TNM, the sub inspector of the Thrissur East police station said that an FIR has been registered.
“We have registered a case under IPC sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 279 (rash driving or riding in a public way),” the SI added.
The SI also added that the accused would be summoned only after all the charges are added.