In rush to grab seat, aged man comes under wheel of bus in Kottur, sustains severe injuries

BALLARI: With buses running overcrowded due to the effect of the Shakti free travel scheme for women, an aged man came under the front wheel of a bus in his attempt to find a seat for himself at the Kottur bus station on Tuesday.

Basavarajappa of Nadumavinahalli in Kottur taluk, was trying to get on to the bus even before it had parked. In the process, he lost his balance and the bus ran over his left leg. The bus was plying on the Ballari-Sandur-Harapanahalli route.

As the ambulance did not arrive quickly, the injured man was shifted to a health facility in the bus itself.

Even as Basavarajappa lay writhing in pain, those gathered around called for an ambulance. When the ambulance did not turn up for long, the locals put him in the bus itself and shifted him to a community health centre. Basavarajappa was later shifted to the government hospital in Davanagere for further treatment.

The Kottur police have registered a case. Locals complained that the bus stand is usually bustling with people and vented their ire at the transport utility for not taking adequate safety measures.