How lapses by Haryana school are exposed after bus accident killed six children

On Thursday, when India was celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, a bus in Haryana crashed into a tree, killing six children and injuring 20 more.

The deadly accident took place in Mahendragarh and three people, including school principal Deepti, bus driver Dharmender, and a school secretary named Hoshiar Singh have been arrested.

The incident has also raised serious questions on why the school was operational on a holiday, and the safety of the buses. It has also exposed some other lapses by the private institution.

Let’s take a closer look.

The accident

According to PTI, the incident occurred near Unhani village in Kanina around 8.30 am when the bus was ferrying around 40 children – from primary to secondary classes – from their houses to the G L Public School.

The driver, Dharmender, was driving rashly, due to which he lost control of the bus, ramming into a tree and overturning it, police said, citing reports.

Some passersby rushed to help them and pulled out the children from the severely damaged bus.

As per initial investigations, school bags, shoes, water bottles, and study materials were scattered amidst the wreckage following the deadly accident. Some students lay motionless in a pool of blood while others, writhing in pain, cried for help, as per PTI.

“Six children have died in the incident and around 20 are injured,” Mahendragarh Superintendent of Police Arsh Verma told the news agency over the phone.

A doctor at a hospital near the accident site, where the 20 injured children were taken to, told reporters earlier in the day that four of them were brought dead and one, who was put on ventilator support, succumbed to injuries.

The deceased students are identified as Satyam, Yuvraj, Vansh, Ricky, Anshu and Yakush. An eyewitness said two of the deceased children were from one family.

After preliminary treatment, the injured students were taken to government hospitals and other centres including in the adjoining Rewari district, said officials. In a post in Hindi on X, Chief Minister Nayab Saini said the local administration was taking care of the injured.

Police said the driver was caught from the accident site and his medical examination confirmed he was under the influence of alcohol. They have also arrested school principal Deepti and school secretary Hoshiar Singh.

A case under IPC Sections 109 (whoever abets any offence), 279 (rash driving), 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336 (whoever does any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety others), 337 (causing hurt by endangering life), 120-B (Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy) and under relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act has been registered in connection with the incident, said police.

Later in the day, the last rites of the deceased children were performed.

Questions raised on why the school was open on Eid

While speaking to ANI, Haryana education minister Seema Trikha, who visited the injured students at hospital, said they have issued a show-cause notice to the private school to explain why the school was open on a holiday.

Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “It’s very unfortunate and sad news. I got the information that the driver was drunk. I can’t understand, where the children were going on Eid? It’s a matter of investigation. I have sympathy towards the families affected.”

Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) chief and former Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala also asked why the school was operational despite a nationwide holiday and sought a probe into reports of the driver of the bus being drunk.

“This is a serious issue as the school was operational on a holiday and there is information that the driver was drunk. An inquiry needs to be made and it should be checked as to why such an incident happened. This is a failure of the district administration and the government,” he told ANI.

Other lapses exposed

According to an FIR lodged by a Class 12 student, the driver was stinking of alcohol and ignored repeated requests by children to drive slowly, and allegedly even threatened them.

Officials said the school authorities had been informed about the driver’s drinking habits. Some parents brought it to the school’s notice even on Thursday Dharmender was under the influence of alcohol, officials said.

Mandeep Singh, a lawyer from Kheri Talwana village, claimed some villagers and parents stopped the bus upon learning that the driver was drunk but the principal intervened and asked them to return him the key, and promised he will be replaced on Friday.

After this, the bus driver again drove off. Minutes later, however, the bus met with the accident.

According to NDTV, the fitness certificate of the school bus had expired six years ago, in 2018.

There was no helper or any woman official in the bus, said the complainant.

Action taken so far

Mahendragarh deputy commissioner Monika Gupta said the district education officer has sent a proposal to the state government for cancelling the school’s recognition as it was open on Eid, as per PTI.

A four-member government-appointed panel will probe the accident, according to another NDTV report.

Education minister Trikha also said a show cause notice has been issued and an inquiry is being conducted.

“I want to tell the whole state that today school should not be opened. A show cause notice has been issued and apart from that, we have taken self-affidavits from the private schools. Second, they have to provide an affidavit of the transportation vehicle saying that their vehicles functioned according to the transport rules and norms. Third, whoever is driving their vehicles, if they are found drunk, then they (schools) will hold the responsibility,” Trikha said.

Transport Minister Aseem Goel said the state government has ordered a probe into the incident. He also directed officials to check the fitness of all school buses.

He told ANI, “FIR to be registered against the school. In March, a fine of Rs 15,000 was imposed on this school bus due to incomplete papers. The negligence of the school is very clear in this case. I have ordered for fitness test of all school vehicles to be conducted in the state,” he said.

Mahendragarh RTA assistant secretary Pradeep Kumar was also suspended with immediate effect on Thursday as he failed to check vehicles plying on the road without valid documents, as per News18.

The Additional Transport Commissioner (Road Safety) has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry into the reasons for the accident and find out those responsible, said the officials.

The education department has also decided to hold a meeting to ensure that ‘Surakshit School Vahan Policy’ for safe transportation of children is strictly enforced.

With inputs from PTI