Parentssaytheycomplainedabout reckless busdriver toschoolbefore
CRUSHED Saumya, 5, fell when her head came under the wheels as her school bus started moving while she was alighting There have been two complaints against the bus driver by the girl’s mother but he always seemed to be in hurry. On Saturday also, Saumya was trying to get down from the bus and the driver drove the vehicle ahead in a hurry.
driving claimed yet another life in the national capital region (NCR) on Saturday with a five-year-old kindergarten child coming under the wheels of her school bus as she was alighting from the vehicle at Mehrauli near NH-24 in Ghaziabad.
Neighbours told HT that Saumya was getting down from the bus when the driver drove ahead to take a turn. The girl fell and her head came under the tyre. The bus was hired by the Silver Shine School at Mahendra Enclave in Ghaziabad and had arrived to drop Saumya home around 2pm.
“There have been two complaints against the bus driver by the girl’s mother but he always seemed to be in hurry. On Saturday also, Saumya was trying to get down from the bus and the driver drove the vehicle ahead in a hurry. She then fell on the road and her head got crushed under the tyres,” said Prince Kumar, Saumya’s neighbour.
Saumya’s father Deepak Kashyap works in Gurgaon. At the time of accident her grandmother had come to take her from the drop point in Mehrauli. “The bus driver and conductor were later handed over to police who arrived on spot after the locals had vandalised the vehicle,” Prince Kumar said.
The police said that they have booked driver Rajveer and conductor Manju and will also check about the role of school officials after Saumya’s family complained that they had flagged the erring driver to the school authorities. The school authorities, however, denied receiving any complaints against the driver as claimed.
“The incident is very unfortunate and we stand by the girl’s family. It was the fault of either the driver or the bus staff. The driver has been with us for past five years and no such complaint was received. The bus staff (Manju) has also been with us for past 10 years,” said Vikas Vashishtha, secretary, school management committee. He said that the bus is among five vehicles owned and operated by the school for pick up and drop. “However, all our documents related to bus and the driver are complete in all respect,” he added. The city administration officials said they will write to the regional transport department to conduct a surprise drive to check up the safety norms and the manner in which drivers drive the school buses. “The schools will also be sent communication to ensure that their drivers and staff are trained to meet all standards. Otherwise, they will face stern action. In the present case, the police will take strict action,” said Prem Ranjan Singh, joint magistrate, Ghaziabad.
“We have registered a case for rash driving and causing death by negligence against the driver and the bus conductor. Both were later arrested. According to initial investigation, the girl had stepped down but the driver backed the bus and she came below one of the front tyres of the bus leading to her death,” said Neeraj Kumar Singh, station house officer, Kavi Nagar police station.