Mumbai lawyer Siddique Ashif Hussain courageously saved the life of Sanjay More, a BEST bus driver, who an enraged mob attacked after his electric bus crashed into pedestrians and vehicles in Kurla, West, on Monday night. The tragic incident left seven people dead and 42 injured.
Hussain, 30, was at home when he heard the crash. He rushed to the scene, helped injured police officers first, and then saw the bus driver being beaten by an angry crowd. “I intervened, pleading with people to stop hitting the driver. I took a few blows in the process, but with the help of the police, we managed to get the driver to safety,” Hussain recalled. He also assisted the bus conductor, who had taken refuge in a nearby dentist’s clinic, providing him with clothes and escorting him to the police station.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Hussain expressed his understanding of the community’s pain but reiterated that he acted with the belief that violence would only bring more harm. “I have no regrets about my actions, but my heart aches for the families who have lost their loved ones,” he said in a post on social media.
The tragic crash occurred around 9:30 PM when More’s electric bus rammed into pedestrians and several vehicles on a busy Kurla road. Police later revealed that More, who had limited experience with electric buses, had only received a 10-day training. As a result, he faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The police are continuing to investigate whether the crash was deliberate or if More used the vehicle as a “weapon.” The swift actions of Hussain and local residents were crucial in preventing further violence, with one senior police official commenting, “Had we not arrived in time, the mob would not have spared the driver and conductor.”
