infoahmedabad.com: A student of Delhi Public School in Bopal was killed and his thirteen school mates injured early on Wednesday morning when a trailer reportedly hit their school bus from behind near Shilaj Chokdi on the Sardar Patel Ring Road intersection.

Irate parents and local residents gathered at the spot and torched one school bus when the school authorities decided to carry on with the day’s activity in the school.

Akul Ramdas Rathod, a student of Class IV was on his way to the school in the bus along with 44 other students when the mishap occurred. The impact overturned the bus, killing Akul, besides injuring several other students. The injured were admitted to SAL Hospital, Kesar SAL and Shalby Hospital, where 11 were discharged soon after. Two are being treated as indoor patients at SAL Hospital but are reported to be out of danger.

Unmesh Dixit, DPS public relations officer, said the driver of the tanker fled from the scene while the driver of the school bus, number 45A (GJ1-AZ9585), sustained injuries.

He said the bus driver was a regular employee of the school, adding that irate mobs soon burnt the bus to manifest their emotional outrage over the mishap. “All the students in Kesar SAL have been discharged and have been taken home by their parents,” Dixit said in a statement later in the evening.

Ahmedabad Rural DySP A M Jadeja, however, said, “The school bus was being driven at a fast speed when it came to the crossroad and collided with a truck coming in from the opposite direction, and overturned.” Adalaj police is now investigating into the accident.

While school principal Sunil Trivedi did not give his comment on the accident, the school started a helpline (number 97250 09691 to 95) for curious enquirers.

Later Congress Legislative Party leader Shaktisinh Gohil visited the injured. He emphasised upon the need for the government to take immediate safety measures for students being ferried by school buses.

“The vehicle movements are not being regulated property and the RTO does not check these vehicles regularly,” he said.

“The police are eager and ever ready to extort money instead of charging fine on two-wheeler riders in the city for not wearing helmets, but it never occurs to them to bring to book the ones who break all norms and rules of safety while ferrying school children,” he added.

Elsewhere, Nitin Shah, Gujart Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary and in-charge of the National Students Union of India, has written to the Commissioner of Police that vehicles ferrying schoolchildren should be allotted special identification marks so that others using the road become aware that a vehicle carrying children is passing by and due care is taken.

News Source by expressindia.com