A six-year-old boy was killed, and 10 fellow students as well as a driver were injured when a KSRTC bus collided with a school bus on Kanakapura Road, on Thursday morning. The tragedy took place around 9 a.m. near Maralawadi village, Ramnagar, on the outskirts of Bengaluru while 15 children — between 4 and 10 years old — were being ferried to a private school run by a trust in the neighbourhood.
According to the police, after the head-on collision, the top of the school bus was ripped off. School bus driver Danappa, who was severely injured, lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a tree. Six-year-old Charan, the son of a farmer, died on the spot.
KSRTC bus driver arrested
The Harohalli police have arrested KSRTC bus driver Rajashekhar on the charge of death due to negligence, and rash and negligent driving following the collision with a school bus, which was ferrying 15 students to a school, on Kanakapura Road, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, on Thursday morning.
A six-year-old boy died on the spot while 10 other students of Rishi Samskruti Vidya Shaale and the driver of the school bus were injured.
Passers-by immediately rescued the children and the driver, Danappa, from the mangled school bus.
The police are now waiting for the medical reports of Danappa and Rajashekar to ascertain whether either was driving under the influence of alcohol.
“It was a narrow road. The KSRTC bus driver was driving rashly even after negotiating a curve, which led to the collision,” a senior police officer probing the accident said.
Parents protest
Parents and the relatives of the children, along with villagers, rushed to the Kanakapura government hospital and staged a protest. They vented their ire on the school management for not going to the spot. “Only the headmaster and employees of the school were present. Parents and local leaders demanded that the school management members also reach the spot,” said an official of the Education Department.
Officials of Department of Public Instruction (DPI) said that they would issue a show-cause notice to the school and seek an explanation for alleged negligence.
No member of the school management was available for comment.