MANALI: A woman was mowed down by a private bus in Nirmand area of Kullu district after which an angry mob set the vehicle on fire on Monday. Police have arrested the bus driver and booked him for rash driving and culpable homicide.They have booked some people who set the bus on fire for mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage.The deceased has been identified as Shyamlata, 58, the mother of Puran Chand, the general secretary of BJP Yuva Morcha of Nirmand block. Sources said she worked as a water carrier at a government primary school in Nirmand and was on her way to a hospital when the bus plying on Jaon-Kullu route hit her. She was dragged several feet by the bus and her lower part of the body was crushed. An angry crowd of people soon gathered at the spot and set the bus on fire. Police had to rush to the spot to control the agitating mob."The woman died on the spot and the private bus was set ablaze by an angry mob. We have taken bus driver Prakash Chand into custody," said Anni deputy superintendent of police Baldev Thakur.The locals alleged that private bus operators drive very rashly and put lives of people in danger. "Our roads are very narrow and have sharp bends. While there is mountain face on one side, the other has gorges. Yet, they still they drive very fast and rashly," said a local resident Mahesh Sharma."Private bus drivers and conductors are always competing with each other and do not even stop the bus properly to let passengers board or deboard the vehicle . They even misbehave with women and elderly. We have witnessed many accidents which have been caused due to rash driving," added Anni resident Rajkumar Gupta.

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