A man who was trying to board a bus was run over by another bus that had attempted to overtake the first one from the wrong side.
The accident happened at the intersection of AJC Bose Road and Cathedral Road on Monday night. The injured man died in hospital.
The drivers and conductors of both buses, which were allegedly racing to pick up passengers, have been arrested.
Around 9.30pm, Sajal Banerjee, 55, a resident of Kanyanagar Colony in Amtala in South 24-Parganas district, was on his way home and was about to board the bus on route 235, which plies between Salt Lake and Amtala, when the accident happened.
A police officer said the bus on route 235 had almost stopped in the middle of the road so Banerjee could board it, blocking the way of another bus.
“The victim was about to step on the footboard of the bus when the other bus, on route 227 (which plies between the airport and Garden Reach), tried to overtake it from the left side and hit the man,” said the officer.
Banerjee suffered injuries on his waist and head and was taken to SSKM Hospital, where he died later in the night.
A case has been registered at Hastings police station.