VILLUPURAM: In a gruesome incident, a 10-year-old boy, standing on the footboard of his school bus to alight at his stop, on Tuesday slipped and fell from the vehicle after he accidentally pressed the automatic lever of the rear door. The boy suffered severe injuries on his head and face and died on the spot. The incident took place near Palapattu village near Sankarapuram.
Police said the boy, A Dhasarathan, son of a farmer from Palapattu, was studying in Class V in a matriculation school in Sankarapuram. Dhasarathan was returning home in the bus with 50 other students of Class I to Class V. R Muniyapillai (37) of Arasampattu was the driver. A woman cleaner was also present in the vehicle.
As his stop neared, Dhasarathan went and stood on the footboard. He was busy trying to collect his bag when he accidentally pressed the automatic door lever. He lost balance as the door opened and fell down from the bus. Though other students raised an alarm, the driver and cleaner, who was busy trying to manage the other students, failed to notice it. Only after the bus travelled a few metres, Muniyapillai realised what happened and stopped the vehicle. By then, Dhasarathan had sustained injuries on his head and face. The driver immediately fled the spot. Soon, locals rushed to the spot and took Dhasarathan to the Government Kallakurichi Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
A complaint was registered by the boy’s parents and police arrested Muniyapilliai and booked him under IPC Section 304 (a). Further investigations are on.