Student killed after private bus drags her on road

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 19-year-old BTech student was killed in a freak accident, while alighting from a bus in front of her college at Nedumparambu on Friday.
Gayathri, of Gayathri House at Althara Junction near Vellalloor, is the deceased. She was a third-year civil engineering student of Rajadhani Institute of Engineering and Technology at Nedumparambu under Nagaroor police station limits.
The accident occurred in front of her college around 9am. Nagaroor police have registered a case and launched a probe. According to police, it was the private bus, ‘Balasubrahmanian’, conducting service between Venjarammoodu and Attingal, which got involved in the accident. Primary assumption is that the carelessness of the conductor and driver led to the mishap.
As per witness accounts, Gayathri’s bag got caught in the door of the bus while she was alighting from the vehicle. As she was trying to free her bag, the conductor, who was unaware of it, rang the bell, signalling the driver to resume the trip. She was dragged along the road for several metres until the onlookers managed to signal the bus driver to stop. By that time Gayathri had already suffered serious injuries, especially below the hip, which eventually led to her death.
‘’There were very few external injuries besides abrasions. According to the surgeons, who conducted the post-mortem examination, internal injuries in the abdomen and pelvic region caused the death,” said sub-inspector (grade) P Prabhakaran of Nagaroor police station.
The police have booked the conductor and driver of the bus under Section 304A of IPC which pertains to causing death due to negligence.
Gayathri is the daughter of Shajees (late) and Reekha. Gayathri has a younger sister, Gowri, who is a Class VI student. Her funeral was held on the premises of her house on Friday evening. Gayathri was also a trained dancer, proficient in both classical and cinematic dance forms. She even performed professionally and did choreography too.
Two school students had suffered serious injuries in June and July at Attingal in similar accidents in which the buses started moving before they alighted from the vehicle.