Grief and fury filled the air outside the post-mortem centre at Ghatkopar's Rajawadi Hospital on Tuesday morning. This came after a tragic incident late Monday night where a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus ploughed into pedestrians near Bhandup West railway station, claiming four lives. The victims included three women and one man, their ordinary routines ending in an unimaginable disaster.
Victims: Lives Cut Short in a Moment
The accident, which occurred on December 30, 2025, snuffed out lives filled with duty and care. Pranita Sandip Rasam, 35, a homemaker, was returning home with her 12-year-old daughter Purva after picking her up from a dance class in Dadar. While Pranita died, her daughter survived with a fractured leg and was admitted to Minaz Hospital in Bhandup, still unaware of her mother's fate.
Varsha Sawant, 25, a nurse, was rushing back to Mumbai from her cousin's wedding in Satara to report for her hospital duty. She had just alighted at Bhandup station and was waiting for a bus when the accident struck. Her proud family in Bhandup was left devastated.
Mansi Meghshyam Gurav, 49, a senior nurse at Sion Hospital, was on her usual commute back home after her shift. Her two school-going daughters were waiting for her, only to receive the shattering news. Her brother Kamlesh, eyes red with sorrow and exhaustion, spent the night shuttling between hospitals.
Prashant Shinde, 53, a traffic warden for five years, had just finished his shift in Ghatkopar. He was taking the familiar route home to his wife and 10-year-old son via Bhandup station but never arrived.
A Scene of Chaos and a System's Failure
All victims were first taken to M T Agarwal Hospital in Mulund, where they were declared dead before being transferred to Rajawadi Hospital for post-mortem. The relatives' anguish was compounded by a sense of systemic neglect. Mansi Gurav's brother lamented the lack of assistance from authorities, demanding that BEST be held accountable.
Prashant Shinde's brother, Rajesh, voiced a common and damning observation. He called the area outside Bhandup station "an accident waiting to happen." He cited narrow lanes, haphazardly parked autos, and hawkers clogging footpaths and roads, creating a cramped and dangerous environment for pedestrians and vehicles alike. He pointedly referenced the Kurla bus accident of December 9, 2024, where nine people died, highlighting a tragic pattern.
Echoes of Past Tragedies and a Call for Action
The incident is not an isolated one, raising serious questions about road safety and urban planning in Mumbai's crowded suburbs. The families' wait outside the morgue was not just for the bodies of their loved ones but also for answers and accountability. The tragedy underscores the urgent need for civic authorities to address chronic infrastructure issues—illegal parking, encroached footpaths, and poor traffic management—that turn daily commutes into perilous journeys.
As Mumbai mourns another preventable loss of life, the demand for concrete action grows louder. The stories of Pranita, Varsha, Mansi, and Prashant are a stark reminder that behind every statistic is a family shattered, a home left empty, and a routine journey that ended in catastrophe.
