The bus at Park Street police station. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta, Feb. 9: An employee of Alipore Zoo came under the wheels of a bus today as the driver didn’t bother to check the road ahead and the woman couldn’t wait to cross over.

Mira Thapa, 52, got off bus No. 202 at Mullickbazar with husband Dilbahadur around 9.45 this morning. The couple waited a while for the bus to leave, but when it lingered to pack in more passengers, they decided to start walking. The driver, too, chose that very moment to move, mowing Mira down.

Some pedestrians tried to alert the driver, who slammed the brakes, but it was too late.

Mira, who received serious head injuries, was declared dead at the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.

“As soon as Mira came in front of the bus, the driver pressed the accelerator. Neither the driver nor the conductor standing on the front-door steps noticed her. Dilbahadur had a narrow escape,” said trader Mohammad Imtiaz, a witness.

The driver and the conductors fled the scene. The bus has been impounded.

Reckless driving snuffed out another life in the city today. Buddhadeb Biswas, a retired schoolteacher in his early 60s, was crushed under a private bus (217A) on VIP Road in Baguiati.

Police said the accident occurred when Biswas was crossing the road and the bus, racing another, ran him over. The driver sped away as the man lay dying.

Helper held

The helper of a minibus was held after he beat up a passenger who smashed the vehicle’s windscreen, furious that he had been asked to move away from the steps. The passenger, Mehefooz Alam, 45, has been admitted to NRS Medical College and Hospital.