Santosh Mane, Pune bus driver who went on rampage, gets death
Here are 10 big facts in this story:
- After hijacking an empty bus, Mane, 39, drove the vehicle down the wrong side of some of Pune's busiest streets.
- Mane had been a driver with the state transport corporation for 11 years.
- His lawyers had argued that he should be acquitted because he is mentally unsound.
- The judge last week rejected that defense outright, and said Mane's intent was clear: "to kill or cause grievous injuries."
- The judge had said that Mane had asked officials to shorten his duty hours the night before he went on his rampage.
- His request was refused because there was a shortage of drivers.
- The next morning, he grabbed a bus whose driver had gone into the bus depot's office to collect some documents.
- His crazed drive lasted nearly 45 minutes during morning rush hour. Eyewitnesses say they flung schoolchildren out of his way as he steered wildly through about 20 kilometres.
- Traffic marshals had fired at the bus to force Mane to stop. But it took a college student to finally stop the bus driver. He managed to climb onto the bus and over-powered Mane.
- The court last Wednesday said that Mane had been found guilty and penalised on two earlier occasions for rash and negligent driving.
