A 19-year-old college student was killed and six people were injured after an SUV collided with a scooter and then rammed into students waiting at a bus stop at Kurkundi Phata, around 45 km from Pune, on Friday morning, police said.
The deceased, identified as Aditi Rale, was a BA student and resident of Kurkundi. She had been waiting with fellow students for a bus to their college in Rajgurunagar when the two vehicles veered into the group, according to the police account reported by Punekar News.
The injured included four college students — Sanjana Rale, 19, Vaishnavi Bhokase, 19, Vaishnavi Jadhav, 20, and Gayatri Kolekar, 19 — as well as scooter riders Rohan Gargote and Omkar Nehre. All six were admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Senior Inspector Digambar Suryavanshi of North Mahalunge police said the SUV was travelling from Khed towards Alandi. The scooter was approaching from Kadus when the two vehicles collided. The impact caused both vehicles to move towards the group of students gathered at the bus stop.
The SUV driver allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled from the scene after the crash. Police took the SUV owner, who was also travelling in the vehicle, into custody. According to Suryavanshi, the owner told police that he was travelling to a polling booth for the graduates’ constituency election.
The incident highlights the exposure of passengers and students waiting beside roads where bus stops are located close to moving traffic. In this case, the victims were not travelling in either vehicle but were struck after the collision redirected the vehicles towards the waiting area.
Police have identified the people involved and are investigating the circumstances of the crash, including the SUV driver’s whereabouts and the sequence of events leading to the collision. Further action will follow the investigation and the medical condition of the injured students and scooter riders.
