Bus mows down 12-yr-old – Mob on ransack spree does not spare school
Posted by barunroy on July 23, 2008
| FROM THE TELEGRAPH | |||
Siliguri, July 22: A 12-year-old was run over by a speeding bus a few yards from his school today, prompting a mob to go on the rampage, pelt vehicles with stones and set up blockades on PWD Road for half an hour. Traffic was thrown out of gear and around 30 policemen from Bagdogra and Phansidewa along with the combat force personnel were rushed to Kalaram, 15km from here, to bring the crowd of over 200 people under control. Rajib Barman, a Class VI student, was cycling to Ranidanga Kalaram High School along PWD Road when a minibus (WB780031) rammed into him. “He was going in the same direction as the bus that was going towards Phansidewa from Siliguri. It was around 10.15am. The boy tried to cross over to the other side of the road in front of the bus,” said Durbal Ghosh, an eyewitness to the accident. The driver of the bus, Ranjit Singha, has been arrested. Teachers and students of Rajib’s school took him to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, 10km away, where he was declared brought dead. As soon as news of the death reached the school, hundreds of students took to the street blocking the Siliguri-Chathat stretch for about 30 minutes from 11.30am. Later a group of residents joined them and ransacked around 10 vehicles including the minibus. Asit Dutta, the principal of that school, however, denied the involvement of his students in the rampage. “It is the local people who did it,” Dutta said. He also alleged that the mob had raided the school campus and heckled him and an employee. “It shocked us to see a mob of about 200 people enter our school,” he said. “The mob demanded the teachers join them and participate in the road blockade. But we preferred to concentrate on taking the student to the medical college,” he said. Dutta later lodged a complaint with the Bagdogra police station. Biswajit Das, the circle inspector of Bagdogra, confirmed that the crowd had tried to attack the school building. “Ten vehicles were damaged when the mob went on the rampage,” said Das. |
