A 14-year-old boy was killed and eight other students were injured when an autorickshaw overturned after the driver swerved to avoid running over a stray dog that had darted on to the road. The accident took place at 7.30 a.m. on Saturday at Kammaguttahalli, near Chikkaballapur, as the children were being ferried to school.
The victim, Chandan, was a class eight student at Mandikallu Government Higher Primary School. He had sustained severe head injuries and was killed on the spot, said the police.
His parents live and work in the neighbouring village, Mutakadahalli, while the boy lived with his grandmother, as her house is closer to the school.
The remaining eight students and the driver were taken to Gudibande and Chikkaballapur government hospitals where many were treated for fractures and other injuries. “They are out of danger,” said a police officer.
As word of the accident spread, villagers gathered at the spot and staged a protest against the police and the Transport Department for the lack of public transport in the area, which forced them to rely on other means to commute.
The auto driver Murthy, 35, had been assigned to ferry the students to and from school. The Gudibande police have arrested him for causing death due to negligence and rash driving.
“A breathalyser test came back negative. He was not driving under the influence of alcohol,” said a police officer, adding that he is in hospital being treated for injuries.
Special drive
Children packed into autorickshaws and driven to school is a common sight, especially on the outskirts of the city. Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy said that the police and RTO officials had recently conducted a special drive in schools advising parents not to send their children in overcrowded private vehicles.
“We had launched the special drive in the last week of August and fined drivers for taking on more passengers than the seats available. But despite such measures, a tragic incident occurred,” said Mr. Reddy, adding that they would extend the drive in the wake of Saturday’s accident.