The school girl, who tragically lost her life in a road accident that occurred in Guwahati’s Ganeshguri area on Thursday morning, was not wearing a protective helmet.
Sources informed that her elder sister, who was riding the scooter at the time of the accident, was also not wearing a helmet.
Besides attracting a hefty fine, the wearing of helmet when riding two-wheelers is mandatory and paramount for safety reasons. The incident is a stark reminder on why it is critical to realise that not wearing a helmet puts one's life at risk as well as others in the vicinity.
Now, the CCTV footage of the accident has emerged where the two-wheeler can be seen losing control and tripping over an open dug-out after which the school bus ran over it. The girl’s life possibly could have been saved had she worn a protective helmet, however, her head was crushed as she came under the bus.
Initially, the fault seemed to be on the part of the school bus but there are many factors that have contributed to the mishap, including ofcourse, the non-wearing of helmets.
Angry locals have also highlighted the presence of a dug-up pathway in the area as one of the major contributing factors to the mishap. The bus wasn’t in high speed and the scooter was on the blind side of the bus, making it hard for the driver to spot them. Not to mention, overtaking is permitted from the right lane of the road only.
After the death of the school girl, the Kamrup Metro District Administration finally woke up from its slumber and reached the accident spot to barricade the dug-out hole on the pathway.
The workers of district administration could be seen barricading the dug-out hole which was done for the installation of a water pipeline by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
At the time of the accident, there was no barricade around the hole, making the already congested road more cram-full.
The incident took place when the girl was on her way towards her school with her elder sister. While the minor girl was killed on the spot, her sister sustained serious injuries and was admitted to a hospital for medical treatment.
The deceased student has been identified as one Priya Kumari, a class 11 student of Little Flower School in city's Hatigaon area.
Following the incident, Basistha police were able to seize the school bus and arrest the driver along with the handyman. The school bus bearing registration number ‘AS-01-PC-7411’ belongs to Royal Global School located in Lokhra.
The driver of the bus has been identified as one Bipul Boro.
