Girl 'loses left hand', another youth critical after being hit by ‘Mo Bus’ in Bhubaneswar

In a bone-chilling incident, a girl reportedly lost her left hand while another person sustained grievous injuries after they were hit by a ‘Mo Bus’ near Chandrasekharpur petrol pump in Bhubaneswar. Reckless driving of the ‘Mo Bus’ driver led to the mishap, sources said.

The incident spread outrage as angry locals intercepted two ‘Mo Buses’ and staged a demonstration, leading to severe traffic congestion from Jaydev Vihar to Nandankanan Road. The injured girl and another pedestrian have been rushed to Capital Hospital.

According to sources, as many as 15 Mo Buses were stranded in the middle of the road as irate locals did not allow them to ply through the route.

“The bus ran over the girl’s left hand. The driver was driving aggressively and trying to flee the spot after hitting the girl. So, angry locals intercepted the bus. The CRUT authorities should arrive at the spot and provide necessary compensation to the girl. They should also bear all the expenses,” alleged an eyewitness.

“This is not the first time, most of the ‘Mo Bus’ drivers are driving recklessly. We demand that their licenses be checked properly. The young girl is battling for her life now. We are not sure if she will survive or not,” he added.

Another eyewitness alleged, “We tried to stop the bus at the stop. However, the driver did not stop the bus at the stop and hit a girl while trying to speed away. The speed limit here is 45kmph but he was driving at 60-65kmph. The girl has lost her hand and the other person is also critically injured.”

Irate locals further alleged that most of the drivers were either drunk or in a hangover state and were ill-behaved. When asked to drive carefully, they often misbehave with the general public, it was alleged.

Tension prevailed in the area during the filing of this report as protestors demanded a government job for the victim girl or her kin, a driving limit of 30-35kmph inside the city, and regular checking for drunk and driving.