Villagers snatched the key of the bus driver, who appeared to be drunk, but returned it after the school authorities assured them of replacing him. A four-member panel has been formed by the Haryana government to probe the accident, which killed six children and injured 20 others.
The bus accident in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district on Thursday, which killed six school children and injured 20 others, could have been avoided. According to eyewitnesses, some villagers had snatched the key from the driver, Dharmender, who appeared to be drunk, and stopped the vehicle from moving forward. However, after assurance from the school authorities about replacing Dharmender, the key was handed back to him.
These villagers were requested to give the key back to Dharmender, and were assured of sending a new driver in the future. However, the bus barely covered a few distance when the driver lost control and crashed into a tree near Unhani village in Kanina around 8.30 am. The bus, carrying around 40 children to GL Public School, overturned as a result of the crash.
Not just the villagers, some parents had also pointed out the driver’s drinking habit to the school authorities, news agency PTI reported. In fact, even on Thursday, they had alerted the school that the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
Three people have been arrested in the matter so far, including Dharmender; the school’s principal, Deepti; and another official, Hoshiar Singh. Police said that Dharmender was caught at the accident site and his medical examination confirmed he was under the influence of alcohol, news agency PTI reported.
A show-cause notice has also been issued to the private school to explain why it was open on Thursday despite it being a national holiday on the occasion of Eid. A four-member panel has been constituted to probe the matter.
“We will investigate why the school was open even on a holiday. The driver has been arrested, and a medical test will be conducted on him,” Kanina Deputy Superintendent of Police Mahendra Singh said.
The fitness certificate of the bus expired in 2018, and Haryana Transport Minister Aseem Goel said that the continued usage of the vehicle was a clear lapse on the part of the school authorities, officials said.
An assistant secretary in the office of district-transport-cum-secretary, Mahendragarh, was also suspended after it came to light that the bus lacked certain documentation. The Additional Transport Commissioner (Road Safety) has been directed to conduct a detailed enquiry into the reasons for the accident and find out those responsible, the officials added.