BEST committee members allege that the bus driver in the Dadar incident is being made a scapegoat to protect the interests of wet-lease contractors and to cover up failures in maintenance practices.

Speaking at the side-lights of adjournment of the committee meeting on Saturday, member Nitin Nandgaonkar said, “As per statements given, the driver was smart enough to swerve the bus to save lives, but not brake it hard? He kept the accelerator pressed? Something is wrong in the narrative. All of this is happening with a particular brand of buses, which means the buses have been faulty all the time. The BEST higher-ups are trying to cover up for wet-lease operators or the manufacturers by not inspecting the buses thoroughly,” he said. He added that he had called for a detailed investigation of all such aspects.