Two buses racing along a busy road in Ultadanga left a pedestrian critically injured and triggered a mob fury on Tuesday morning, police said.

The accident happened at the crossing of Muraripukur Road and Ultadanga Main Road, near Telengabagan, around 10.45am on Tuesday, the police said.

The buses were moving towards Ultadanga station.

One of the buses hit a woman, who the police said was trying to cross the road.

The woman, Anima Dutta, 62, is a resident of Canal Circular Road in Duttabagan. She has been admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The drivers have been arrested and charged with rash and negligent driving, an officer said.

“This (buses involved in racing to pick up more passengers) is a regular practice. Buses and autorickshaws often cause accidents in the area but police are doing nothing to stop them,” said an angry commuter who lives in the area.

A mob smashed the windscreens of the two buses and damaged the seats.

One of the buses was on the Bagbazar-Garia route and the other was on the Howrah-Barasat route.

Eyewitnesses said the wheels of one of the “racing” buses went over the woman’s waist. She was unconscious while being shifted to the hospital.

In 2023, almost 15 per cent of the total road accidents in the city were caused by buses. According to police records, pedestrians are most vulnerable to accidents. Of the 159 people who died in road accidents in Calcutta in 2023, 73 were pedestrians.

Senior officers of Kolkata Police said vehicles as well as pedestrians need to follow traffic rules to avoid accidents.

“It is vital that vehicles follow traffic rules. But pedestrians, too, should follow rules and desist from jaywalking or crossing roads when the signal for vehicles is green,” said an assistant commissioner in the traffic department of the city police.

Buses are major violators of traffic norms as they stop at will to pick up and drop off passengers. They are also often driven recklessly to pick up more passengers than other buses on the route.