A bus runs over an elderly man in Gujarat, 100 sets on fire

After one of the cars mowed down and killed an elderly man, a mob of over 100 people set fire to two private buses transporting firm personnel on the outskirts of Gujarat's Bharuch town, police said on Tuesday.

According to Bharuch inspector AK Bharwad, the incident occurred on the Dahej bypass road on Monday night, but no one was wounded since all passengers of the two buses operated by the Dahej-based enterprise disembarked before the cars were set ablaze.

On Monday night, a senior citizen was run over by one of the buses in Sherpura village in Bharuch, according to police.

In connection with the man's murder and the mob's torching of buses, the police have filed two different FIRs.

Mr. Bharwad said, "Some locals got angry when a senior citizen, Ismail Manchwala (65), died after being hit by one of the company buses at Sherpur bus stop around 9 pm."

"Later, the two buses were set ablaze by a mob of around 100 locals. No one was injured as all the company employees got down quickly," the officer said further.

According to one of the FIRs, Manchwala, a Sherpura village resident, was run over by a bus while crossing the road at the bus stop. The man died on the spot after suffering a head injury.

The unidentified bus driver, who fled the scene after the accident, was charged with dangerous driving and causing death by negligence.

"Some angry residents of Sherpura gathered on the road and torched that bus after all the employees alighted. They then stopped another company bus and took away its keys after assaulting the driver and some workers. The mob set fire to that bus also after all the workers got down," says Mr. Bharwad 

According to the source, a separate FIR was filed against a mob of roughly 100 persons on allegations of assault and rioting.

Local fire department workers went to the scene after being warned and extinguished the fires, he added.

According to the official, no arrests have been made so far.