42 schoolkids injured as Haryana Roadways mini bus overturns near Pinjore
Equipped with around 40 seats, the bus was carrying around 70-80 passengers, double its capacity, as per officials familiar with the matter; the driver, who had earlier fled the spot, was arrested later in the day
An overloaded Haryana Roadways mini-bus, headed from Kalka to the hill areas of Pinjore, overturned near Nolta village at 7.15 am on Monday, leaving 46 people injured, 42 of them schoolchildren, officials said.
The driver, who had earlier fled the spot, was arrested later in the day.
Equipped with around 40 seats, the bus was carrying around 70-80 passengers, double its capacity, as per officials familiar with the matter. Most of them were children, as students of the area take the mini-bus to go to school daily.
Some students of Government Industrial Training Institute in Kalka also use this bus. With only one bus on this route, the bus is usually overcrowded, as alleged by the injured.
“The mini-bus overturned while negotiating a turn. A police inquiry is on, but for now our focus in on rescuing the injured,” Panchkula deputy commissioner Yash Garg told reporters at the local civil hospital.
He added that the cause of the accident will be established through the inquiry, but the victims said the driver was speeding and lost control while navigating a turn as the bus was overloaded.
Some cited the poor condition of the road as another reason, while others alleged the driver was driving in an inebriated condition. But police ruled out this claim.
Civil surgeon Dr Mukta Kumar said 46 injured people were rushed to the polyclinic at Pinjore from where 22 victims were referred to the civil hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula. Four of them were adults, including the conductor. A woman bystander in her sixties, who was injured on the shoulder after the bus fell, was referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
A school girl is suspected to have suffered a compression fracture in the spine, while one of the adults was shifted to the ICU due to bleeding in the liver. Police confirmed that all patients were stable.
Driver, conductor suspended
The driver, Yash Pal, had fled after the accident, while conductor Sandeep Kumar was among the injured.
Both were placed under suspension. Haryana Roadways, Panchkula, general manager Ashok Kaushik took the action after complaints of speeding and overcrowding in the bus.
Officials of the Pinjore police station said they traced the driver and rounded him up by evening. A case was registered at the Pinjore police station under Sections 125(a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others where the hurt is caused) and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These are corresponding to Sections 337 and 279, respectively, of the earlier Indian Penal Code, and both are bailable.
Punishment for Section 125 (a) is imprisonment up to six months or fine up to ₹5,000, or both. Punishment for Section 281 is imprisonment of up to six months, or fine up to ₹1,000, or both.
Haryana assembly speaker and BJP MLA from Panchkula Gian Chand Gupta said police had launched an inquiry. He met the injured victims at the civil hospital and announced that two buses will run on the route from Kalka to avoid overloading.
Congress MLA from Kalka Pardeep Chaudhary, former BJP MLA Latika Sharma and Panchkula Aam Aadmi Party president Ranjit Uppal also arrived at the civil hospital to meet the injured. Panchkula deputy commissioner of police Himadri Kaushik was also present.
Speaking about why a minibus was plying on the route, Kalka sub-divisional officer Lakshit Sareen in a statement explained that the Haryana Roadways had earlier started a big bus here as well, but considering the condition of the road here, it had to be stopped. He added that the roads needed repairs.
Onlookers at the accident scene were seen taking up the issue of bad roads in the area with former MLA Latika Sharma, who assured them that they will be fixed.
Will survey requirement of buses in villages: Minister
Haryana’s transport and women and child development minister Aseem Goel also visited the injured at the civil hospital on Monday evening. He said a survey of the villages in the hilly region will be conducted. If the number of government buses had to be increased in any area, it will definitely be increased.
He shared that a five-member committee, headed by transport officer Pradeep Ahlawat, had been constituted and orders had been given to investigate the incident. Prima facie, looking at the circumstances, orders had been given to suspend the driver and conductor of the government bus, he added.
Responding to media queries, Goel said instructions had been given to Panchkula district roadways general manager Ashok Kaushik to start two bus trips on the route, where the bus accident took place, from Tuesday to prevent overloading.


