PUDUKKOTTAI: Ten tribal students were injured after they fell from a moving government-run TNSTC bus when its door was opened near Rengammal Chathiram on the Tiruchy–Pudukkottai road on Wednesday. The driver and conductor of the bus were suspended following the incident.
The students, from villages around Keeranur, were travelling to schools in Pudukkottai on a TNSTC government bus going from Keeranur to Pudukkottai for a government school in Pudukkottai when the incident occurred. The bus was reportedly overcrowded, with several students travelling on the footboard.
According to the students and villagers, the conductor asked them to get down, citing the heavy rush inside the bus. When the students were reluctant to alight, the hydraulic door of the bus allegedly opened while the vehicle was moving, causing them to lose their balance and fall onto the road one after another at Rengammal Chathiram. The injured were students of Class 8 and 9.
Ten students sustained injuries in the incident. One student reportedly suffered a serious leg injury after coming under the bus wheel. The injured students were rescued by local residents and taken to Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital for treatment.
The incident triggered protests in the nearby villages. Residents alleged that the students had been subjected to high-handed treatment while travelling to school and demanded action against the bus crew and assurances on the safety of children using government buses.
Hundreds of villagers subsequently blocked the Tiruchy –Pudukkottai National Highway, disrupting traffic. Police and government officials reached the spot and held talks with the protesters.
Villagers said they had made sustained efforts to ensure that children from their communities continued their education and expressed concern over their safety during the daily commute.
Following the incident, TNSTC officials have suspended the bus driver, Manikandan, and conductor, Arjunan, pending further enquiries.
