Cops seize vehicles after school students perform stunts

Raipur: Notwithstanding strict warnings from the Chhattisgarh High Court, incidents of students performing dangerous stunts on moving vehicles continued across the state, with three new videos surfacing on social media from Janjgir-Champa, Surajpur and Dharsiwa during school farewell celebrations.Surguja police seized five vehicles in connection with the incidents, while authorities in Janjgir imposed fines under the Motor Vehicles Act.A video involving students in Kunra Nagar Panchayat surfaced on social media, showing them performing dangerous stunts during a farewell programme. The footage showed several students leaning out of car windows and standing on door frames of moving vehicles.The students were seen waving and celebrating while perched on moving four-wheelers. Road safety experts said such stunts violated traffic laws and could lead to fatal accidents in the event of sudden braking or a minor lapse in balance.The incident sparked outrage among locals and parents, who questioned the school management's role in ensuring student safety. Locals stated that if the vehicle rally was part of the official school event, it demonstrated a total lack of discipline and oversight.Local citizens urged the administration to investigate the matter and act against those responsible to prevent such recurrences.In Surajpur district, students of a private school allegedly performed stunts on a national highway while heading to their farewell party on Monday. A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed students hanging out of five SUVs and blowing hooters.The students reached the school in Bishrampur in a rally, recording their actions for social media. Upon receiving information about the viral clip, the Bishrampur police reached the school premises and found five vehicles parked outside."The vehicles belong to the parents of the students, and the students themselves were driving them. We seized all five cars," according to the police. He added that since the drivers were not found on the spot, the vehicle owners were summoned to the police station. Action was being taken under the Motor Vehicles Act.In Janjgir-Champa district, there was a similar incident in Khairtal. During a farewell party held on Feb 4, students were filmed sitting on car bonnets and hanging out of windows while the vehicles were in motion.Following the circulation of the video, Nawagarh police identified the vehicles through their registration numbers and fined the drivers Rs 2,800 per vehicle and issued a warning against such reckless behaviour.