School bus mows down 7-year-old boy in Ghatkopar, brother hurt

Mumbai: A seven-year-old civic schoolboy died, while his 12-year-old brother suffered injuries after they were hit by a school bus at Pant Nagar in Ghatkopar (E) on Thursday. The police have arrested the bus driver, Jalaluddin Shaikh (25), and charged him with rash and negligent driving. The siblings, Ashok (7) and Suresh Mudgal (12), were returning home from school when the accident took place.“At 12.30pm, the brothers were crossing the road when a bus of R N Gandhi School, which was ferrying students home, hit them,” said senior inspector R Mohite.
The bus was among the six taken on contract by the school. “The contractor has been with us for over 20 years. We have never had any troubles. Just a few months back, we had met the drivers and attendants,” said principal Vijaya Singh. “We’ll evaluate the situation and take necessary steps to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”
Meanwhile, local corporator Rakhi Jadhav from NCP said she will tender her resignation. “After I got elected in 2012, I have been repeatedly demanding a subway under the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road. There are several schools in the vicinity and children are forced to cross the road. I have submitted letters to every department in the BMC, from the local ward office to the bridges department, to no avail. As I am accountable to my voters, I have decided to resign,” Jadhav said.