Bus carrying school students for picnic overturns, one killed

 

A SCHOOL picnic turned into a tragedy when a private bus carrying 52 students from Saraswati Vidyalaya, Shankar Nagar, overturned on a hilly road near Deori Pendri village in Hingna tehsil on Tuesday. The mishap, which occurred around 9.30 am near Pendri Ghat, left one student dead and more than 50 others injured, some critically. The deceased, Nirvani Shilanand Bagde (15) was a resident of Plot No 27, Ambedkar Society, Takli Sim, Hingna Road. The bus (MH-40/Y-2350) was transporting Standard X students on an excursion to the HRS Hikers’s picnic spot at Anji, Seloo in the Wardha district when the incident occurred at a sharp bend.

 

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-I) Lohit Matani confirmed that the bus was following five other buses carrying students to the picnic spot when it overturned. Among the 52 students, 44 were rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), seven were taken to NIMS Hospital, and one to Platina Hospital. Tragically, 15-year-old Nirvani Bagade was confirmed dead after succumbing to her injuries at AIIMS. Two students, Jayesh Pramod Meshram (16) and Mihul Sudhir Wankhede (16) and bus driver Pramod Suresh Gaurkhede (28) have been admitted to the ICU in critical condition, while others are being treated for less severe injuries. Two teachers, who were also on board the bus, sustained injuries. Following the news of the accident, the school Principal, Pushpa Anand, along with teaching and non-teaching staff, parents, and members of school managing body, rushed to AIIMS to provide support. The bus was registered under the Nagpur Rural RTO and owned by Shree Harihar Travels.

 

While the bus was equipped with a speed governor, preliminary inquiries suggest multiple lapses in the vehicle’s condition and documentation. Police are questioning the bus’s compliance with mandatory safety standards, including proper maintenance records and seating restraints for students. The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of school transportation, particularly during off-campus excursions. Parents are now calling for stricter regulations to ensure that buses used for student transport meet all necessary safety requirements. Though a case under Sections 106,281,125(a), 125 (b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, read with Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act, against bus driver Gaurkhede, Hingna Police’s investigation is now focusing on whether factors such as road conditions, vehicle maintenance, or driver error contributed to the mishap.