Bangalore, December 6: A day after six-year-old C.M. Manish was run over by the school bus in the school playground, relatives and family friends of the deceased student staged a demonstration in front of the Outreach School in Wilson Garden here on Thursday.
A group of at least 30 people comprising mainly parents of the school’s students, gathered around 10 a.m. with Manish’s body, which was brought in an ambulance and parked in the school grounds. Holding the school authorities responsible for the boy’s death, the protesters sought action against the staff, claiming that the accident occurred due to the staff’s negligence.
The parent of another student said that Manish had bent down to pick up something on the playground when the bus was being taken in the reverse. “Even though one of the school guards reportedly told the bus driver to stop, the driver had not seen the boy and accidentally ran over him,” he said.
The parents and relatives also alleged that the school bus did not have an attendant, which is mandatory according to the orders issued by the Supreme Court. They also protested against the school buses being parked or driven in the school grounds where children are playing.
Manish’s uncle, Pramod, told reporters that the school should not shirk its responsibility with regard to the boy’s death. He demanded that those responsible for the negligence punished.
School closed
Meanwhile, the Outreach School remained shut following the accident and is expected to re-open on Monday, police said. Trustee of the school, Raju, told the media that the school management too was shocked with the accident. He claimed that the school buses do have attendants usually, adding that four teachers were also present in the ground for monitoring the children. He said that the school management would extend co-operation to the police, who have arrested the vehicle driver Praveen and booked a case of negligence against him.
