Fifty students narrowly avoided a potential tragedy in Althan when an alert Class 10th student noticed their bus driver was drunk and managed to stop the vehicle. This incident, reminiscent of the Haryana bus tragedy, has prompted the school and bus contractor to reinforce safety measures.
The bus belonging to Maheshwari Vidhyapeeth had departed from the school at 11 a.m. The driver, Suresh Singh Rajput (56), had driven seven kilometers between Althan and Magdalla erratically, nearly causing multiple accidents. An alert student observed the driver’s intoxicated state, stopped the bus, and removed the key to prevent any mishaps. The rash driving resulted in two students sustaining injuries, while others were understandably frightened. The bus was carrying students from class 1 to class 12.
This incident serves as a poignant reminder of the Haryana bus tragedy, where six students lost their lives and 20 were injured in a similar accident on April 11. Both the school and bus contractor have reiterated their commitment to ensuring that drivers who drive recklessly or under the influence are not employed.
Mahendra Jhawar, president of Maheshwari Vidhyapeeth, expressed his concern, stating, “This is an unfortunate incident. We have issued a notice to the contractor responsible for our school buses. A meeting has been called with students and parents to understand the situation better. We assure parents that such incidents will not recur, and we are addressing the issue firmly.”
Maheshwari Vidhyapeeth has around 2,000 students, of whom approximately 1,300 use school transportation.
Vikram Oswal, the bus contractor, mentioned, “We regularly conduct breath analyzer tests on drivers before they start their shifts. However, due to the change in school timings to 11 a.m. on Monday, we were unable to conduct the test.”
Oswal added, “To prevent such incidents in the future, we will install cameras inside the buses.”
The Althan police inspector NK Damor stated, “The driver has been booked and the bus seized under sections of the Motor Vehicle Act.”