Boy looks out of bus window, dies after head hits pole in Gzb

GHAZIABAD: A student of Class 4 of a school in Modinagar, Ghaziabad, died of severe injuries after he stuck his head out of the window of his moving school bus and hit it against a pole of a nearby gantry gate on Wednesday morning.

Police identified the boy as 10-year-old Anurag Bhardwaj, a resident of Surat City in Modinagar.

Officials of the Ghaziabad district administration said the incident took place around 8.30am near Dayawati Modi Public School when the bus ferrying students to school took a turn and Anurag’s head hit the pole.

He was rushed to a hospital with severe injuries but was declared dead on arrival, they said.

The Ghaziabad police have registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code against the school authorities, the bus driver and co-driver based on a complaint filed by the boy’s family.

Anurag’s mother Neha Sharma alleged that she had been complaining to the school authorities about the operation of the school buses, and had also done so as recently as April 1.

“It is suspected that the school authorities, in retaliation, have conspired and killed my child. There has been laxity in running the management of the school.” Neha said in the police complaint.

“We are questioning the school principal, the driver and other staff on board. An investigation is underway. Anurag’s family protested at the school after the incident but we pacified them. We have seized the bus for forensics and technical examination,” said Iraj Raja, superintendent of police (rural), adding that the bus belonged to the school, and was not hired.

An official of the district administration said that Anurag was sitting in the fourth row of the bus and the window was barred with three iron grilles with some room above to peek out. Police also said they are trying to confirm why Anurag stuck his head out of the window of the bus in the first place.

“The school authorities maintain that Anurag was feeling nauseous and stuck his head out of the bus to get some air so he could feel better. However, Anurag’s family has completely rejected the claim,” the SP added. “A school teacher was on duty in the bus but was sitting in the front row. So, we don’t know yet why Anurag stuck his head out of the window. The other children on the bus are in a state of shock. The police will speak to them during their investigation,” said an officer from the Ghaziabad administration.

HT, meanwhile, reached out to authorities of Dayawati Modi Public School for their comments on the school’s landline and an unidentified official who picked up the phone confirmed the incident, but did not provide a further response. HT also tried to reach out to NP Singh, the principal of the school, but he did not respond to calls.

“The chief minister has taken cognisance of the incident and has sought a report from the district magistrate. In the meantime, I have asked the transport department to check all school buses and submit a report,” said Shubhangi Shukla, sub-divisional magistrate of Modinagar.

District magistrate RK Singh did not respond to calls seeking comment either.