Gujarat: In a shocking incident, two school girls fell out of a moving van in Gujarat's Vadodara, causing alarm amongst parents. The incident reportedly occurred on June 19 in Tulsi Shyam Society in Manjalpur. Fortunately, no other vehicle was coming from behind the speeding van and a major accident was averted.
The entire incident was captured on a CCTV in the locality. In the footage, the school van can be seen moving after picking up someone, after which the back door suddenly opens and the girls tumble out.
Although they get up quickly, they seem shocked by the unexpected fall and can be seen checking on and comforting each other.
As soon as they fall, the residents responded immediately and rushed to help the girls,
However, the driver cannot be seen returning back to check on them.
Van Driver Apprehended
This reflected the negligence of the van driver as he drove away without paying attention to whether the door was closed properly or not. What's even more shocking is that he was oblivious that two of the girls had fallen down from the car's back while he was driving.
According to India Today, police have apprehended the van driver on complaints of the parents.
The RTO officials are investigating the incident and stated that the driver's licence will be cancelled if he is found at fault.
The incident has rasied questions about the safety of students going to school in such vans.
Pranav Kataria, assistant commissioner of police, Vadodara, said: "In the video, two girls are seen falling off the school van on a road inside a residential society. The van driver seen in the video, Prateek Padhiyar, has been rounded up."
The girls suffered minor injuries, he added.
A case has been registered against the 23-year-old driver, Padhiyar, for rash and negligent driving along with endangering the life and personal safety of others under the Indian Penal Code, and the Motor Vehicles Act, PTI reported.
The ACP also added that the driver had a learner’s licence.
In another incident involving a school girl, a private bus hit a student on zebra crossing in Kozhikode on June 7, while she was returning from school. She fell under the bus after the impact of the hit. However, she was saved miraculously, Kaumudi Online reported.