Bike injures Class 2 student in Ggm; school admin, rider booked

A seven-year-old girl in Gurugram suffered fractures after being hit by a speeding motorcycle while crossing the road to board a school bus.

A seven-year-old Class 2 student suffered fractures after being struck by an allegedly speeding motorcycle while crossing a road unsupervised to board a school bus in Gurugram’s Madanpuri area, police said on Monday, adding that they have booked the school and the motorcyclist.

The incident took place outside the Madanpuri branch of Lady Florence Convent School on November 10. (HT Photo)

The incident took place outside the Madanpuri branch of Lady Florence Convent School on November 10 at 1.41pm, but it came to light only on Sunday when the child’s father, Kashish Sethi, filed a complaint.

Police have registered an FIR against the school administration and the motorcyclist under sections 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 281 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which pertains to cruelty or neglect by those responsible for a child’s care.

CCTV footage accessed by HT shows the motorcyclist colliding with the child as she attempted to cross the road. Yet, police said the girl’s parents were told she had merely “slipped” while boarding the bus, resulting in what the school claimed was a minor sprain.

“As per the preliminary investigation, she was struck by a speeding motorcycle while crossing the road with other students. It was the school’s responsibility to ensure her safety. Therefore, we have invoked the JJ Act against the school administration and the BNS against the motorcyclist,” said inspector Tejpal, station house officer at New Colony Police Station. He added that investigators are working to identify the motorcyclist and determine the extent of negligence on the school’s part.

For the girl’s parents, the full extent of the injury emerged only days later. Sonia Sethi, the child’s mother, said the school told her that her daughter had “slipped” while getting on the bus. “They said it was just a minor sprain,” she said. But when the child continued to complain of severe pain, the family took her for an X-ray on November 15. “That’s when we were told that she had suffered fractures in two bones,” she said.

Sonia said a relative’s son told them that the girl had been hit by a motorcycle. “I then asked my daughter about it. She said she was alone when she crossed the road, became scared after seeing vehicles coming towards her, and that’s when the motorcycle hit her,” she said.

The mother alleged the school concealed the incident. “They did not share any CCTV footage. They never told us it was a road accident. There has been no support from the school,” she said. She added that crowding and a lack of organised parking at the Madanpuri campus routinely put children at risk.

Rajesh Dang, vice-president of the society that runs the school, denied any negligence.

He said two caretakers and a guard were present at the time. “We don’t leave students unattended. Caretakers are always there to help students board the bus,” he said. According to him, the child “lost her balance” as the motorcycle approached. “The motorcycle was not speeding. The rider even stopped to check on the child. Our staff then took her to the school’s medical room for first-aid,” he said.