Villagers snatched the driver’s key, who looked to be intoxicated, and attempted to stop the Haryana school bus crash. But after receiving confirmation from the school administration that the driver would be changed moving future, they gave back the key.
The Thursday bus tragedy in the Mahendragarh area of Haryana, which left six schoolchildren dead and twenty injured, was preventable. Witnesses reported that some locals had prevented the car from proceeding after stealing the key from the driver, Dharmender, who seemed inebriated. The key was returned to him, though, after the administration of the institution gave their word that Dharmender would be replaced.
These villagers were promised a new driver in the future and asked to return the key to Dharmender for the time being. But at around 8.30 am, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into a tree close to Unhani hamlet in Kanini. The bus had only traveled a short distance. The collision caused the bus, which was transporting about 40 kids to GL Public School, to topple over.
Not only had some parents alerted the school administration to the driver’s drinking habits, but the locals as well, according to news agency PTI. They had in fact informed the school that the motorist was intoxicated as early as Thursday.
Thus far, three individuals have been taken into custody in connection with this case: Dharmender; Deepti, the principal of the school; and another official, Hoshiar Singh. According to news agency PTI, Dharmender was found intoxicated at the scene of the collision, and his medical examination verified this, according to the police.
In addition, the private school has been given a show-cause notice to clarify why it remained open on Thursday even though it was Eid, a national holiday.
“We’ll look into the reason the school remained open on a holiday. A medical examination will be performed on the driver, who has been placed under arrest, according to Mahendra Singh, the Deputy Superintendent of Police for Kanina.
The bus’s fitness certificate expired in 2018, and according to Haryana Transport Minister Aseem Goel, the school administration’s continuing use of the vehicle constituted a glaring oversight.
When it was discovered that the bus was missing certain paperwork, an assistant secretary at the district transportation/secretary’s office in Mahendragarh was also suspended. The officials also stated that the Additional Transport Commissioner (Road Safety) has been instructed to carry out a thorough investigation into the accident’s causes and identify those accountable.
SCHOOL LISTED AS OPEN ON EID UNDER RADAR
The GL Public School has drawn criticism for operating on a gazetted holiday for Eid on Thursday. The district education officer submitted a request to the state government, according to Mahendragarh Deputy Commissioner Monika Gupta, to revoke the school’s recognition because it was open on Eid. This has been done in addition to the show-cause notification. According to police, a case has been filed in this regard under several IPC sections that deal with reckless driving, culpable homicide that does not constitute murder, and other related topics. The case has also been brought under pertinent Motor Vehicles Act provisions.
Among those expressing condolences for the deaths in the disaster were President Droupadi Murmu, Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.