Pune rampage: 'A spinning car saved us from going under the bus'

The injured victims of the Pune rampage give first-hand accounts of the tragic events of this morning at Swargate. Two 24-year-old boys who spoke to DNA did not receive help easily but a 20-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital immediately by the people around who witnessed the accident that took place outside the State Transport Bus Depot and near Vega Centre on Shankar Shet Road.

“In this unfortunate event I am happy that I escaped with little injury,” said Sagar (name changed on request). Sagar told DNA, "I just came to Pune after visiting my Family in UP, I actually work in Andhra Pradesh. I was changing my jobs, so I had a vacation of one month. I visited my parents and on my way back I planned to stop in Pune where my cousin resides and works. My Cousin Santosh (name changed on request) came to pick me up in the morning and while returning home we stopped at a signal near Vega Centre on Shankarshet road, where we suddenly saw a ST bus coming in the wrong direction, in the traffic lane, and not even in the BRTS lane. Before we could understand what happened the bus crushed two auto rickshaws and dashed on an Innova that was ahead of us. The Innova turned 360 degrees and pushed us aside and we jumped from the bike at the same time. This spin of the car saved us or else we could have been under the bus.

Santosh (Sagar’s cousin), who is a marketing executive in Pune told DNA that I was riding the bike and I even before I could understand what the bus driver was up to or heading which way, Sagar and I jumped off my bike. As I got up my right hand went numb and I got a swelling on the spot. I noticed that Sagar was bleeding profusely as he had a cut on his right foot.  I was requesting a lot of people around to take my cousin to the hospital as he was bleeding but most people refused saying it is a police case. Finally one Uncle on an Activa, dropped Sagar to Ranka Hospital, and I called up my friend to help me. I also came to the same hospital and found out that my right wrist is fractured. The fruit sellers at the accident spots were also injured. I am sure the auto drivers and the Innova driver would also be seriously injured as the auto was almost crushed. The fruit carts were also damaged a lot, some more people were lying on the road, but I was concentrating on my bleeding brother. Some people from the ST Mahamandal came to visit both of us at the hospital and have made us fill forms saying that they will pay the hospital bills. I did fill the form but I am worried as to what will happen to the ones who have lost their lives, what compensation or expenditure will they pay to their families, it is a huge loss that cannot be repaid with anything.

Just along the road, near Vega Centre, outside Sneh Ganga, another 20-year-old girl Ritu Dodeja, a second year Engineering student of BMCC college also met the same fate, but sustained a head injury with a swelling in the brain. According to Sanjay Dodeja, Ritu’s father, the people nearby rushed to help Ritu immediately and also rushed her to a nearby hospital where she got first aid and was shifted to Sahyadri Hospital at Deccan in an Ambulance. I was not able to do anything, the people who came to help handled the entire situation, she is safe because of these people and I am thankful about that."

"Ritu, along with her graduation is also learning French and pursuing a diploma in management, she also takes private tuitiona. Being a responsible girl I knew she will not ride rash. Doctors are doing their job well and I am satisfied, she is at least conscious though in pain, she is being kept under observation for 48 hours in the ICU at the hospital," he further said.