E-Paper
SUV mows down boy near school in Ludhiana
CHANDER NAGAR MISHAP Toddler was about to be picked up by school auto driver when the car crushed him
A Ford Endeavour SUV crushed a three-and-a-half-year-old boy to death outside Saraswati Modern School in Chandar Nagar here on Tuesday afternoon. The victim has been identified as Vidhit Srivastav of Inderprasth Colony in Haibowal, a nursery student at the school.
The victim was about to be picked up by an auto driver from the main gate of the school when the SUV mowed him down and the driver fled after onlookers raised an alarm.
The locals rushed Vidhit to the hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.
Saurabh Kumar of Shivpuri, an eyewitness, said the SUV driver failed to notice the child.
The auto driver, Sandeep, said, “I had parked the auto near the main gate of the school and was making the kids sit in the vehicle. Vidhit was standing near me. Before I could turn to him, the SUV crushed him and fled.” He claimed he took the child in his lap and ran towards a hospital nearby.
‘BRING MY CHILD BACK’
Vidhit’s family demanded action against school authorities for negligence. At the time of the incident, no security guard was present at the main gate of the school to ensure safe passage for the toddlers.
Vidhit’s father, Ravi Sirvastav, a factory worker, said if the school authorities had deputed guards outside the school, his son would be alive.
Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed at the hospital as Vidhit’s mother kept wailing, “Bring my son back to me”, and cursed the school for not taking care of children.
School principal could not be contacted for comments.
CASE REGISTERED
Division Number 8 station house officer (SHO) inspector Jarnail Singh said, “The onlookers noted down the registration number of SUV as PB 10 CF 9522, which belongs to one Vishal of Prem Nagar. The police are trying to trace the unidentified car occupants which have been booked Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
