New Delhi, Dec. 2: Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi was flung across an airport bus here this morning as the driver, allegedly chatting on his cellphone, slammed the brakes to avert a collision.

Modi, on his way to board a JetLite flight to Ahmedabad along with BJP colleagues Ravi Shankar Prasad and Satyanarayan Jatiya, was taken to the nearby Indian Spinal Injuries Centre at Vasant Kunj with back injuries. He was discharged later in the day.

“He (Modi) has internal swelling in his spinal cord. He has been advised complete bed rest,” Shailendra Ojha, his private secretary, said. Modi was to campaign with the other leaders in the Gujarat elections.

The airline’s bus, taking the VIPs to the 9am flight, was said to have screeched to a halt after the driver spotted another vehicle but Ojha claimed it was an aircraft.

JetLite CEO Gary Kingshott claimed Modi was injured because he was the only one standing. “Other BJP leaders took the flight. Only Mr Modi refused to board. He declined medical assistance, too.”

He did not confirm if the driver was using a mobile, saying an inquiry had been ordered. The driver has been suspended and fined Rs 200 under airport rules, officials said.

Tarmac mishaps in the operational area of the airport are not uncommon. In October, Sansrity Sinha, an engineer with Air Deccan, was run over near the airline’s hangar.