Flung from bus on Friday, found on Saturday

Mysore/Mysuru: In a shocking incident, an elderly man who was thrown out of a KSRTC City Bus during a freak accident on Chamundi Hill Road, was found dead nearly 17 hours later — lying unnoticed just a few feet away from crash site.

The accident occurred on Friday (Sept. 26) around 5 pm, when the bus, ferrying passengers downhill, brushed past a retaining wall before colliding with two oncoming cars and electric poles. About 15 people, including bus passengers and occupants of cars, were injured and rushed to a hospital.

One passenger, however, was missing — Chikkabasavegowda (72), a retired Excise Department Inspector and a native of Hangala village in Gundlupet taluk, who was residing in Vijayanagar 4th Stage, 2nd Phase, Mysuru. Tragically, his body was discovered only the next morning.

Brake snag caused accident

On Sept. 26, at around 11 am, Chikkabasavegowda had boarded City Bus to visit Chamundi Hill Temple for Darshan of Goddess.

After offering prayers amid the festive Dasara rush, he collected prasadam, placed it in his shoulder bag and boarded a bus to return to City Bus Stand. From there, he planned to take another bus home.

He sat next to a window seat on the left side of the bus and purchased a ticket. Around 5 pm, the bus (KA-09-F-5260) was descending the Hill when the driver lost control of the steering near the Uttanahalli Road junction, shortly after the View Point.

According to preliminary reports, a brake snag may have caused the bus to accelerate suddenly, forcing the driver to swerve right, scraping the retaining wall. In a desperate attempt to regain control, the driver veered left, but the bus rammed into two oncoming cars, including a private vehicle and a cab.

The speeding bus then crashed into five roadside electric poles before finally coming to a halt. The rainy weather made it even harder for the driver to control the vehicle despite his years of driving experience.

Thrown out but left unnoticed

During the chaos, Chikkabasavegowda, seated by the window, was thrown out of the bus and landed among rocks and trees a few feet away from the accident site.

While passersby rescued other injured passengers and rushed them to a hospital, no one noticed Chikkabasavegowda, who lay injured and likely unconscious.

Siddarthanagar Traffic Inspector K.V. Sridhar and KSRTC Technical Officer M.G. Jayakumar visited the accident site that evening, but tragically, the missing passenger went unnoticed.

Discovered by chance the next day

Meanwhile, the victim’s family searched frantically through the night. His son, H.C. Rajendra, an advocate, contacted relatives and friends but found no trace of his father.

Next morning (Sept. 27, around 10.30 am), staff from Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) arrived at the spot to replace the damaged electric poles.

While surveying the area, they discovered a shoulder bag containing prasadam and puja items. On searching further, they were shocked to find Chikkabasavegowda’s lifeless body among the rocks and trees.

The jurisdictional Krishnaraja (KR) Police were immediately informed, who in turn alerted the Siddarthanagar Traffic Police. Upon examining his belongings, Police traced Rajendra’s mobile number and informed the family.

Rajendra and his relatives rushed to the spot and identified the body. The Police conducted a mahazar, registered a case and shifted the body to the MMC&RI mortuary for post-mortem. Later, the body was handed over to the family. Last rites were performed at Hangala village yesterday.

Chikkabasavegowda is survived by his wife Basamani, sons H.C. Rajendra and H.C. Shivakumar, daughter H.C. Mamatha and a host of relatives and friends.

Questions over negligence?

The incident has raised serious questions about possible negligence by the Police and KSRTC staff. Had the authorities conducted a thorough search of the area immediately after the accident, Chikkabasavegowda, who may have been alive but unconscious, could potentially have been saved through timely medical attention.

Furthermore, the KSRTC bus conductor’s ticket records could have been tallied with the list of injured passengers admitted to the hospital, which would have quickly revealed that one passenger was missing. This would have prompted an immediate search operation. Unfortunately, none of these steps were taken, leaving the elderly man unnoticed through the night until his body was discovered by sheer chance the next day.