Bihar: Bus driver shot at on way to school; children unharmed but terrified

Police said the driver had received a death threat a day earlier, and the attack is suspected to be linked to a love affair.

Two motorcycle-borne assailants shot a private school bus driver in Gaya district on Thursday morning when 20 children were on board, leaving him critically injured, the police said.

Representational image.

The incident took place on the Vishanpur-Ramdohar main road under Bhadaur police station limits when the bus was heading from Vishanpur village to a private school in Raniganj.

The injured driver, identified as Rabindra Kumar (30), sustained two bullet wounds in his chest and was rushed to Magadh Medical College and Hospital, where he remains critical.

Police said Kumar had received a death threat a day earlier, and the attack is suspected to be linked to a love affair. A firearm and bullet were recovered from the spot.

According to eyewitnesses, the two men intercepted the bus, dragged the driver out, and shot him twice. “They abused him, snatched the keys, and pulled him out of the bus before firing,” said a local resident.

When people nearby rushed to the scene, the assailants threw away the gun and fled. The children were left terrified and later sent home safely.

Kumar, a resident of Pipra Tola in Bikua Kala under Sevra Panchayat, drove the school bus for Delhi Public School in Raniganj. Locals first took him to the Imamganj primary health centre, from where doctors referred him to Gaya for advanced treatment.

Police are scanning CCTV footage to identify the attackers. Bhadaur station house officer reached the spot and conducted inquiries.

Gaya SSP Anand Kumar said police were investigating the case from all angles. “Raids are being conducted to arrest the culprits,” he said.