CHENNAI:Over 300 students of Prof Dhanapalan College of Arts and Science staged a protest in front of a private hospital at Kelambakkam, after a third-year student sustained severe leg injuries onboard a college bus. The incident happened on Saturday, following a tyre burst at Pudupakkam in Kancheepuram district.
“Amudha, a student of Prof Dhanapalan College of Arts and Science, was sitting in the second seat from the front, adjacent to the driver, when the loud sound of a tyre burst was heard. A hole formed on the bus floor in the impact and the college student’s leg got trapped in it. The driver immediately stopped the bus and the staff and students rescued her,” said a senior police officer, quoting a college student onboard the bus.
The girl was rushed to a private hospital at Kelambakkam and the bus sent for inspection.Police said the bus was carrying around 150 students, all returning from their college situated on the Old Mahabalipuram Road. Around 3 pm, the bus was running near Pudupakkam when the tyre burst. “The victim’s house is situated in Urapakkam and she travels by the college bus every day,” said the investigation officer.Later, the college staff informed the victim’s parents, who rushed to the hospital. “However, the victim and her family did not file a complaint, though we asked them to do so,” the officer added.
On Monday, the students seeking action against the college management resorted to a road blockade, disrupting traffic for more than 30 minutes on the OMR.The students told reporters that vehicles were not maintained properly by the college management and the incident showed its negligence. They even claimed that no staff from the college visited the girl at the hospital. They also alleged that classrooms, canteens and bathrooms were poorly maintained, but the college charged exorbitant fees from students. It was only after the police reached the spot and assured the students that action would be taken that the crowd dispersed.
The Kelambakkam Police have registered a case against the driver, who is absconding, and further investigations are on. Meanwhile, the bus in question has been sent to the Regional Transport Office for motor vehicle examination to check the condition of the vehicle.It may be noted that in July 2012, a six-year-old girl was run over by the rear wheels of her school bus, after she slipped through a hole on the floor of the vehicle at Mudichur near Tambaram.