An eight-year-old girl was killed Thursday afternoon after being run over by her school van in Naini, shortly after arriving home. The accident sparked outrage among local residents, who allegedly assaulted the driver before handing him over to the police.
According to family members, the victim, Taswani Udyanshi Pathak, a Class III student of Delhi Public School, reached home in the school van at around 3:30 pm. After exiting the van, she reportedly became trapped when the strap of her school bag caught in the vehicle’s door. The driver, assuming the child had already reached safely, allegedly reversed the van without checking, pinning her between the vehicle and the boundary wall of her home.
Neighbours and passersby, alerted by the screams of other children inside the van, rushed to the scene and extricated the girl. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
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The victim was an only child of her parents. Originally from the Mirzapur district, the family resides in Prayagpuram, Naini. Taswani lived with her grandparents, Surendra Pathak, a retired section engineer, and Kadambini Pathak. Her father, Manish Pathak, works in a private firm in Delhi, while her mother, Aarti Dubey, is a government school teacher posted in Gorakhpur.
The tragedy has devastated the family. Her grandparents and uncle, Pushpendra Pathak, were left inconsolable, while her parents travelled to Prayagraj immediately upon receiving the news.
Naini SHO Avinash Singh confirmed that the driver, identified as Satyapal, has been taken into custody. He noted that the body has not yet been sent for a postmortem, as the family is awaiting the arrival of the parents. Formal legal action will proceed once a complaint is lodged.
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Recalling the incident, her grandmother, Kadambini Pathak, who was waiting at the gate, described the harrowing moments. “Taswani got down from the rear of the van and was trying to free her bag strap, which had caught in the door. Without checking if she was clear, the driver suddenly reversed at speed. She was crushed between the van and the wall. We screamed and tried to stop him, but it was too late,” she said.
Meanwhile, ARTO (Enforcement) SP Singh stated that preliminary findings indicate the van was operating without a helper, despite regulations mandating an attendant in vehicles transporting schoolchildren.
“The absence of a helper appears to be a serious lapse,” he said.