A five-year-old boy was killed on Saturday morning in the Pipraich area of Gorakhpur when a school bus reportedly ran over him while he was waiting with his mother. The incident has led to significant unrest in the community, with villagers expressing their outrage by detaining a teacher who was on the bus and vandalizing the vehicle. The circumstances surrounding the accident are still under investigation.
The incident took place around 8 am in Naiyapar Buzurg village, about 20 km from the district headquarters. Following the incident, the family submitted a memorandum demanding ₹1 crore in compensation and a govt job for a family member. CO Chauri Chaura Kundan Singh said police received information about the accident at around 8.30 am.
School manager Sunil Chauhan termed the incident unfortunate and said the management stood with the bereaved family. Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, an FIR has been registered against bus driver Manoj, teacher Rani Mishra and the school management,” he said. He said the presence of a conductor could have prevented the tragedy.
The deceased, a Class I student of SD Public School in Chauri, was standing outside his house with his mother, when the incident took place. Enraged residents detained a teacher travelling in the bus and damaged its windows. The protest continued for nearly three hours before police and administrative officials pacified the crowd. “The child was waiting for the school bus when the accident took place. Basic Shiksha Adhikari Dhirendra Tripathi, along with the block education officer, visited the spot and the school to gather details of the incident. During the inspection, the school’s recognition-related documents were found to be in order. However, the BSA found that the van did not have a conductor.
Villagers chased the vehicle and stopped it nearly 200 metres from the spot, but the driver managed to flee.
The bus arrived at high speed and allegedly ran over the child before moving ahead, according to the family.