Mumbai, June 9 -- A delivery rider was killed, and six other people were injured after an electric BEST bus ploughed into five vehicles near Plaza Cinema in Dadar on Monday morning, the latest in a series of accidents that have intensified scrutiny of the civic transport undertaking's wet-lease electric fleet. The accident took place around 9.30 am, when the driver of the e-bus operating on route A-463 (Dharavi Depot to Plaza Cinema) lost control over the vehicle and crashed into a kaali-peeli taxi, two scooters and two private cars, police said. BEST has set up a four-member committee to investigate the incident, officials said. The deceased was identified as Niyaz Ahmed Shaikh, 26, a delivery rider from Null Bazaar. Police said the bus rammed his scooter from behind, causing him to fall beneath the vehicle, which dragged him several metres. He was declared dead at Sion Hospital. Among the injured, 22-year-old student and part-time delivery rider Vrishabh Gupta is in critical condition with head injuries. The other injured are pedestrian Amit Mhatre, 41; BEST inspectors Mahesh Doiphode, 50, and Satish Waghmare, 48; bus driver Vikas Padave, 42; and conductor Rajendra Pelekar, 57. They are all undergoing treatment at Sion Hospital. CCTV footage shows the bus travelling along the roundabout surrounding Veer Kotwal Udyan before crashing into vehicles waiting at a traffic signal. It then continued towards Plaza Cinema, struck a barricade and an excavator at a bridge construction site, and finally came to a halt. The bus, operated under a wet lease by Evey Trans (Olectra), had completed its scheduled trip and was returning to the Dharavi Depot. Only the driver, conductor and two BEST inspectors were on board, officials said. "The driver had pulled the handbrake and was filling his duty form. The primary information we received is that when the driver dislodged the handbrake, the bus zipped uncontrollably. He was unable to apply the brakes, too, which allegedly had failed. We will have to verify all of this," said a BEST official. The police have booked Padave for rash driving and causing death by negligence. The accident comes amid growing concerns over the safety and maintenance of wet-lease buses, particularly electric vehicles operated by private contractors on behalf of BEST. In recent months, BEST has faced criticism over accidents, breakdowns and fires involving such buses, prompting inspections. BEST public relations officer Sucheta Uthale said Padave had been operating buses under the wet-lease system since January 2020 and was experienced in driving electric buses. "Considering the seriousness of the accident, a four-member committee of senior BEST officers has been formed to investigate the matter and submit their report on top priority," she added....