Pudukottai, Sept 3:
A government bus driver was suspended and a temporary conductor was relieved from duty after 10 girl students fell from the moving bus when its automatic front door suddenly opened near Rengammal Chatram on the Pudukottai–Tiruchy road on Wednesday. The students suffered minor injuries and were admitted to Pudukottai Government Medical College Hospital.
The incident occurred around 9.05 am when Route No. 8 government town bus was travelling from Keeranur to Pudukottai. The bus stopped at Rengammal Chatram, where nine students from Pudukottai Raniyar Government Girls Higher Secondary School and a student from Kalaignar Karunanidhi Government Arts College boarded the bus.
As the bus was already crowded, the 10 students were forced to stand on the front steps. The automatic door initially closed after the bus left the stop.
However, after the bus had travelled around 100 metres, the automatic door suddenly opened. The students standing on the steps lost their balance and fell onto the road while the bus was moving.
Passengers inside the bus raised an alarm, following which the driver stopped the vehicle. Local residents and fellow passengers rushed to the students’ aid and rescued them. The injured students were taken to the Pudukottai Government Medical College Hospital in two ambulances, where they were given treatment.
District Chief Educational Officer Shanmugam visited the hospital and met the injured students.
There were different accounts about the circumstances leading to the students falling from the bus.
One version suggested that the conductor had pushed a student from the moving bus, while another claimed that the driver had applied sudden brakes, causing the students to lose their balance.
Officials said a detailed inquiry would be required to establish the exact cause of the incident.
Pudukottai Regional Transport General Manager Karthikeyan said the preliminary inquiry indicated that the bus was heavily overcrowded. According to him, the bus had about 90 passengers when it left Keeranur around 8.30 am and another 30 passengers, including students, boarded at Rengammal Chatram.
He said a passenger standing inside the crowded bus was believed to have pressed the button located near the front steps that operates the automatic door. The door consequently opened, causing the students standing on the steps to fall.
All 10 students sustained minor injuries, he said.
Following the incident, the transport department sought an explanation from the driver and conductor and initiated departmental action.
The regional transport authorities subsequently suspended driver Arjunan and relieved temporary conductor Manikandan from duty.
Vellanur police also registered a case against the driver and conductor and arrested them. They were subsequently released on bail.
The incident triggered protests among local residents, parents and relatives of the students. They staged a road blockade near Rengammal Chatram, demanding action and measures to prevent such incidents.
Police personnel from Vellanur reached the spot and held talks with the protesters. Following assurances from the authorities, the protesters withdrew the blockade.
Officials also acknowledged complaints that government buses in the area had allegedly been refusing to pick up students