Around 40 children were allegedly trapped in their school bus for over an hour after an autorickshaw driver dragged the bus driver out of his seat and beat him up. The incident took place around 1.30 p.m. on Outer Ring Road at Marathahalli on Wednesday while the children were being ferried to their homes from New Horizon Gurukul School in Kadubeesanahalli.
According to the police, the two vehicles scraped against each other. The bus driver Suresh K., 35, and auto driver Praveen Kumar, 33, got into an altercation, with each insisting that it was the other person’s fault. Praveen allegedly dragged Suresh out of the bus and attacked him with a cane.
The students, who were accompanied by an attendant, panicked and began crying for help. School staff, who were alerted of the crisis, reached the spot and tried to pacify Praveen who insisted that the bus driver be detained until the police arrived.
Suresh got into the bus and drove away. When he reached an apartment, Praveen waylaid the bus. “The staff arranged for another bus to ferry the children home,” said a police officer.
The Marathahalli police have taken up a case of criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint and assault against Praveen, who has filed a counter complaint against the driver for damaging his vehicle and assaulting him.
Mohan Manghnani, Chairman, New Horizon Educational Institutions, said that he was not in the country and not aware of the issue.