A tragic road accident near Delhi’s Majlis Park Metro Station claimed the life of a 12-year-old schoolgirl on Tuesday morning, while accusations that bystanders took pictures instead of helping the injured child have drawn national headlines.
The victim Priyanshi, a resident of Rama Garden in Mukundpur, was on her way to school at 6:45 am when the accident happened, said the police. “A school bus hit the e-rickshaw of several schoolchildren in Majlis Park. Priyanshi was thrown along the road.
Govinda, a local resident who works in a nearby gym, said he reached the accident site in a matter of minutes when he was coming to work. What he witnessed, he claimed, left him deeply disturbed.
"When I arrived there, the girl was lying in a pool of blood. A lot of people had gathered around but instead of helping, some were taking video on their phones. I immediately picked her up and rushed her to the hospital," Govinda said.
He said the other children travelling in the e-rickshaw were crying and pleading for help.
"The children had folded their hands and were asking people to save her, but many were busy filming the incident. We somehow managed to take her to the hospital, but the doctors declared her dead," he said.
Priyanshi’s family said she and her elder sister had boarded the battery-operated rickshaw together shortly before the accident.
"We had safely seated both girls in the e-rickshaw. Near Majlis Park, a school bus hit the vehicle. The younger sister fell onto the road and came under the bus's wheels," said a family member.
Rakesh, another relative, said the family received a phone call informing them about the tragedy.
"When we questioned the bus driver, he admitted that a mistake had happened. There were several children inside the school bus, while four children were travelling in the e-rickshaw," he said.
The grieving family has claimed that the school bus was driving too fast and in a reckless manner when it collided with the e-rickshaw, killing the girl.
According to Delhi Police, the information of the accident was received by Delhi Police as soon as 7 am in the morning and policemen rushed to the spot and launched investigations.
A preliminary inquiry found that the school bus, which was driven by 55-year-old Kamal Singh, collided with the e-rickshaw carrying schoolchildren. Priyanshi was immediately taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Fortunately, police said, no other child travelling in the e-rickshaw was injured.
The school bus driver is arrested and the e-rickshaw driver was also detained for questioning. Both vehicles involved in the accident have been seized and a case has been registered.
Investigators are now examining CCTV footage from the area to determine the exact sequence of events and establish responsibility for the collision.
And the tragedy of the young life of the young girl has raised issues of road safety for the roads near schools and the behavior of the bystanders in case of a disaster. Many people have also claimed to have taken video instead of helping the child, and the public should be educated that they should come to the scene of an accident and help.
Proceedings to be continued and Priyanshi’s family will look at how the tragedy will be resolved and they hope for a swift response by the public in the event of an emergency.
