Hyderabad: Private School Bus Runs Over Toddler

Hyderabad: A 19-month-old child, identified as Jewel Anna Midhun, died upon being run over by a school bus of the Johnson Grammar High School at Habsiguda on Thursday morning.

The bus driver was booked in a case of causing death due to negligence, the police said. The bus helper, M. Rani, was also booked for failing to alert the driver about the girl.

The incident took place when Anna, accompanied by her caretaker Kousalya, was seeing off her brother George Midhun Parackal, a Class 1 student of the Johnson Grammar High School.

The police said that the kids’ father, Midhun G. Parackal, after dropping off George at the pick-up point, was interacting with the driver, Md Imtiyaz, to inform him that he need not pick up George as they were taking a vacation, when the driver allegedly got distracted and started the vehicle without taking stock of his surroundings.

Osmania University police SHO P. Anjaneyulu said that the family was from Kerala and residing in Street No. 8 of Habsiguda for the past four years. The couple, Parackal and his wife Rosamma Anthony, hired Kousalya to take care of the children as they both worked.

Immediately before the child was run over, she reportedly got down from Kousalya’s arms and started playing, running in front of the bus, as her father was speaking with the driver.

After the girl was hit, Kousalya raised the alarm and they immediately rushed her to a hospital in Secunderabad, where she was declared dead.

In the aftermath, student unions protested at the school premises, demanding justice for the family and also strict action against the bus staff.