TIRUVANNAMALAI: A Class 6 boy, who was undergoing treatment in hospital after he fell off a moving government bus at Devanampattu in Tiruvannamalai district last week, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. S Kamalesh (11), son of R Selvadurai, is a native of Karuthuvampadi village in the district.
According to sources, the driver of the bus, Vediyathan, had opened the electrically-operated door just ahead of the bus stop when Kamalesh slipped and fell off the vehicle. According to Kalasapakkam police, the incident happened around 7.30 am on August 12 when the boy was on his way to the Government Higher Secondary School in Kattuputhur.
CCTV footage of the incident obtained by TNIE showed that both the front and back doors of the bus were open. The bus was seen taking a sharp turn at Devanampattu, when Kamalesh was thrown out of the bus. Immediately, locals rushed him to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai.
Driver, conductor suspended from service after boy succumbs to injuries
Kamalesh allegedly suffered severe head injuries from the fall. Later, he was taken to the Egmore Children’s Hospital in Chennai for further treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries on August 19.
The manager of the TNSTC SIDCO depot, under which the Devanampattu area falls, said that both driver Vediyathan and conductor Gandhi were suspended from service on August 20.
“The boy had gotten on to the bus at Karuthuvampadi and the Devanampattu stop is about 4km away, ahead of which the incident happened. The driver had opened the door just ahead of the bus stop,” he said. He also added that there were 39 other passengers inside the bus at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, Kalasapakkam SI said that the boy’s parents have filed a complaint against the bus driver and conductor. A case has been registered against Vediyathan and Gandhi under sections 281, 125 (a) and 106 (1) of BNS, all pertaining to rash or negligent driving causing death.