India Road Rage: Bus Driver Goes ‘Berserk’

Topics:  Santosh Mane

VOA Breaking News
January 25, 2012 at 11:05 am

The driver of a bus wreaked havoc on the streets of the western Indian city of Pune Wednesday, plowing the vehicle through cars, pedestrians and anything else that got in his way.

Police say the so far unexplained rampage began during the morning rush hour as children headed to school. At least nine people are dead and another 27 have been injured. Officials say the damage is immense.

An owner of a smashed food cart said he was lucky to escape with his life.

Pune Police Commissioner Meera Borwankar says the bus driver, identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mane, “just went berserk.” She also described how parents had to push their children out of the way to escape the deadly rampage.

She said he jumped into another driver's bus and sped off, leading officers on an hour-long chase. Several officers fired shots at the bus driver in an attempt to bring the bus to a stop.

Mane is now in custody.