Rajat Surendra Kulkarni, 17, a resident of Boisar in Thane district, who was travelling from Bawdhan towards Kothrud around 7.30 am, was crushed between the bus and the truck. He died on the spot. Residents blamed the narrow road with steep slope and gravel on the road for the mishap. Police have arrested Santosh Nalwade (32), the driver of the school bus.
Kothrud police said, Kulkarni, a Class XI commerce student, was heading for his tuition class. The accident led to a traffic jam for five hours.
“The road has a steep slope and gravel is spread on the road due to ongoing concretisation work. Kulkarni was behind the truck when the bus came from behind and hit the two-wheeler. The impact was so powerful that the the bus crushed the bike and then wrecking the rear of the truck. Kulkarni died on the spot,” police said. The truck was transporting cement blocks.
Two other bikers, Omkar Dudhale (21) and Kundan Akhate (22), both residents of Bavdhan were injured in the accident. Besides, several schoolchildren in the bus suffered injuries.
The injured were rushed to a private hospital and discharged after first aid. The bus driver has been booked for rash and negligent driving. He also suffered injuries and was taken to Sassoon General Hospital.
The bus served MIT school but there was no written contractual agreement between the bus owner and the school, Inspector S B Navale (crime) said.
Kulakarni was cremated late on Thursday. His father is a manager with Jindal Steels.