SUV runs over nursery student outside school

Ludhiana: An SUV ran over a nursery student outside Saraswati Modern School, Chandar Nagar, on Tuesday.
Vidhit Srivastva, 3, of Haibowal’s Inderprast Colony, was going towards an autorickshaw when the accident took place around 12.30pm.
Saurabh Kumar, an eyewitness and resident of Shivpuri, said, “I was crossing by the area on my motorcycle when I saw the incident. The SUV, which was not speeding, did not jam on the brakes after hitting the toddler. It seems its driver did not notice the boy because of the vehicle height. When onlookers raised the alarm, the driver realised what had happened and pressed the accelerator to escape.”
A parent, who had gone to the school to pick up her son, said, “I have noted down the SUV’s registration number.”
There was no teacher or attendant to assist children to vehicles, said another eye-witness.
The driver of the auto, which ferried the boy to and fro school, said, “After the classes got over, I held hands of two children and took them to the auto parked outside the school. In the meantime, I asked Vidhit to wait till I returned. But, Vidhit started running after me and the SUV ran into him.”
The auto was parked at some distance. “As parents had parked their two-wheelers near the main entrance of the school, I had to station my auto a few metres away. I have asked the school authorities several times to manage vehicles of parents, but to no avail. There is one guard at the entrance, who is deployed inside the campus,” the auto driver added.
The auto driver picked up an injured Vidhit and started running to take him to a hospital. A passerby gave him lift on his motorcycle and took the boy to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. But doctors declared him brought dead.
Thereafter, the school staff called his parents.
Tempers frayed when his parents reached the hospital. Ravi Sirvastva, Vidhit’s father who works at a factory, said, “How could the school authorities let my son go out alone. Why was there no school teacher, attendant or guard to help children? Action should be taken against school authorities.”
Division 8 police station SHO inspector Jarnail Singh said, “We have the SUV number and are trying to trace its driver. A case has been registered under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) against him. Action will also be taken against the school authorities.”
A camera installed at a nearby building has captured the accident.
The school principal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Safe School Vahan Scheme violated
Road safety expert Kamaljit Soi said, “As per the Safe School Vahan Scheme, autos cannot ferry schoolchildren. And children should be dropped and picked up from inside the school campus. If students are to be picked up from outside the campus, then it is the responsibility of the school authorities to ensure their safety and security by deploying guards and attendants. The school authorities are equally responsible for this tragic incident.”