Miraculous escape: Girl tossed over Chetak bridge, lands 40ft below

BHOPAL: It was a miraculous escape for 14-year-old Mantisha Noor, who was riding pillion on her father's bike, after she was tossed several feet in the air on Chetak bridge to land with a thud 40 feet below after a crash on the busy flyover. Her father's bike was hit by a speeding car on the bridge on Sunday morning. The impact of collision was so severe that Mantisha was dislodged from her seat and flung over railings of Chetak bridge.
Her father, Noor-ul-Alam, did not have a clue about his daughter after the collision. He lost consciousness for sometime and when he regained composure, he began looking for Mantisha. He was told by an onlooker that she had fallen off the bridge. Fortunately, the muddy ground below proved a buffer and Mantisha survived with injuries on head and chest. She's battling for life at Kasturba Hospital. The speed demon had rammed into two bikes and five people, including Mantisha's father were injured.
The speeding Santro was going towards BHEL while the two bikes were headed in the opposite direction to MP Nagar. Speaking to TOI, city superintendent of police Govindpura Shiv Dayal said, "the car was racing at 100 km per hour."
Three people on the first bike were Praveen Kaithal, a BHEL employee, Vaibhav Kaithal, student of Class X (both brothers), and Anil, an engineer. They are residents of Khajuri Kalan.
Noor-ul-Alam, resident of Piplani and a BHEL employee was on another bike with his daughter. He was going to drop Mantisha at a coaching institute in MP Nagar. All injured were rushed to Kasturba Hospital where condition of Mantisha, a Class IX student and Vaibhav Kaithal is critical. Both suffered head injuries and are in ICU.
The car driver has been identified as Anil Bhatkal, resident of Nehru Nagar. He was arrested on the spot. He is a skating trainer. None of the people riding bikes was wearing helmet, police said. Apart from car driver, the three on bikes could also be made accused, police said.
City superintendent of police, Govindpura, Shiv Dayal told TOI the car driver is the prime accused. "We are conducting mechanical investigation of the spot and examining tyre marks to identity position of bikes, he said.
Dayal, who also happens to be doctor, reached the spot before 108-ambulance. He attended to the victims and escorted them to hospital and waited till doctors reached for medical attendance.