1 dies after school bus rams into auto, scooter at ITO

A SCHOOL bus rammed into an autorickshaw and a scooter on DDU Marg at ITO early Friday, killing the scooter rider and injuring the auto driver, said police.

None of the school students were injured in the accident, they added. DCP (Central) Harsh Vardhan said they were informed about the incident at 7:28 am, and a team of officers from the IP Estate police station was sent to the accident site.

DCP Vardhan said: "A scooty and an auto were hit by a school bus, killing the scooty rider — identified as 29-year-old Abhishek Jain. The auto driver, who suffered minor injuries, has been discharged from the hospital after treatment." The 51-yearold bus driver, Shiv Kumar, also suffered injuries and is undergoing treatment, the DCP added.

A case under Indian Penal Code sections, pertaining to causing death by negligence and rash driving, has been registered at the IP Estate police station. According to the DCP, the bus driver claimed that the brakes of the vehicle had malfunctioned; which has now been seized for mechanical inspection.

The incident took place when Jain, a contractual employee at AIIMS residing at Brahmapuri, was waiting at a traffic signal at ITO when the bus came rushing to the signal and rammed into the said auto and subsequently the scooter.

According to a senior officer, Jain was dragged for around five to 10 metres after the collision. The 51-year-old auto driver, Mahesh, had no passengers at the time of the incident.

Police said as many as 42 students were travelling in the school bus at the time of the incident. Jain is survived by his father, who works as a bus conductor, and mother, who is a housewife.

Jain’s cousin Rishabh said: “My brother always used to abide by traffic rules, and this time too, he was waiting at the signal when the errant bus came and rammed into his scooter from the back.”