Lucknow: Assailants storm school bus with 40 children on board, assault driver and conductor
Mohanlalganj police register a case and are in the process of scanning CCTV footages to identify the attackers, says assistant commissioner of police
LUCKNOW A bus ferrying 40 children from a private school was brazenly attacked in broad daylight near DLF Garden City in Lucknow’s Mohanlalganj area on Tuesday. The armed assailants assaulted the driver and conductor, leaving them injured, smashed windows and left dozens of children screaming in fear. The vehicle remained stranded for nearly 45 minutes, said police.
The Mohanlalganj police registered a case and were in the process of scanning CCTV footages to identify the attackers, said assistant commissioner of police Rajneesh Kumar.
The incident took place around 4pm, shortly after school dispersal, when Rehan Khan, the bus driver with Lucknow Public School (DLF Branch), was en route to drop children home. As the bus approached DLF Garden City, an unknown bike-borne man forced the vehicle to stop. He boarded the bus and began assaulting Rehan, punching and kicking him in full view of the children, the police said based on the complaint. Locals said the assault may be a fallout of personal enmity.
When conductor Neeraj Patel tried to intervene, the attacker turned on him too, leading to a scuffle inside the bus. The assailant allegedly called for backup, and soon a gang of accomplices arrived. Together, they stormed the bus, broke windows, smashed the driver’s phone, and turned the vehicle into a mayhem zone.
According to the driver’s statement, one of the goons held the conductor hostage, escalating the chaos.
Somehow, despite his injuries, the driver managed to drive the damaged bus to safety with all 40 children onboard. “It was pure terror. A few more minutes and we do not know what could have happened,” he later told police.