School van driver gets 10 yrs in jail for causing accident killing eight kids

A court here on Saturday sentenced the driver of a school van to 10 years in jail for reckless driving leading to an accident at an unmanned level railway crossing in Bhadohi in 2016 in which eight children were killed.

The erring driver was sentenced by a fast-track court of Additional Distract and Sessions Judge Anand Kumar.

AD&SJ Kumar also imposed a penalty of Rs 1 Lakh on driver Rashid Khan.

Prosecution counsel Pravesh TIwari said a case was registered against the driver of the private school van Rashid Khan after the accident, and he was sent to jail.

The court after hearing both the prosecution and defence, held him guilty and sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

Eight children were killed and 14 others injured on July 25, 2016 when a school bus was hit by a train at an unmanned railway crossing in Bhadohi because of the negligence of the driver who drove the school van onto the railway track ignoring warnings as he was listening to a song using an earphone.

The mini bus, carrying students of six villages in the age group of six to 14 years, was hit by a speeding Varanasi- Allahabad passenger train between Katka and Madhosingh stations, said Tiwari.

The mini bus of Tender Hearts English School in Ghosia was thrown up in the air because of the impact of the crash and landed in an agriculture field, he added.