In a tragic incident, a 16-year-old girl in Bengaluru died after coming under the wheels of a school bus. The incident occurred on Thursday, May 26, while the deceased Keerthana, her sister Harshitha and their friend Darshan were riding triples on their bike on the Outer Ring Road near Deve Gowda Petrol Bunk, Banashankari.
The three were travelling on their bike when a school bus, which ferried students of Delhi Public School, came up behind them. As per reports, the bus was being driven in a rash and speedy manner, and hit the trio’s bike from behind, causing them to be flung from the vehicle. While Harshitha and Darshan landed on the side of the road with minor injuries, Keerthana landed on the road and the bus ran her over, killing her on the spot. None of them were wearing helmets, according to the Deccan Herald.
The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled as soon as the incident occurred. The Deccan Herald reported that there were no students inside the bus at the time of the accident. After a case was registered against him by the Banashankari Traffic Police, the driver — Mahadeva Nayak — has been arrested. As per the Times of India, he has been charged under Sections 279 (rash driving in public), 337 (causing hurt by rash or negligent actions) and 304(a) (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, along with a few relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. According to the report, Nayak told the police that the two-wheeler scraped the side of the bus and thus fell down. Further probe is underway.
Keerthana had just completed her Class 10 exams, and had plans of studying at a Pre-University (PU) college in Nagarbhavi. A resident of Nayandahalli, she and Harshitha, along with their parents, were staying for a few days with their relatives on Kanakapura Road. She was reportedly working at a shop in Nayandahalli to support her family.