SAHIWAL: Around hundred students of the Government College of Technology on Saturday gathered near the DPO office and protested the death of a fellow student after he fell from the roof of a running bus near Yousafwala Grid Station on Lahore-Multan National Highway.

Blaming the bus driver for the incident, who allegedly applied breaks so suddenly that the student lost his balance and fell to his death, the protesters demanded cancellation of route permits of two private transport companies buses-- Gujar Tiyara and New Chaudhry.

They alleged the transport companies allowed the drivers to drive buses rashly, resulting in deaths in road accidents.

The eyewitness say the bus was running at the speed of more than 80km per hour, with students on its roof, when the accident occurred.

The decease student suffered critical head injuries that proved fatal, they added.

Rescue 1122 staffer said they shifted the critically injured student, identified as Hyder Ali, a resident of 55/4-R village, whose legs were also fractured in the accident, to the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital’s Emergency ward, where he died.

Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Secretary Mr Wasif, told Dawn that the driver had a valid licence, while the route permit and maintenance of the bus was also found up to the mark during the monthly inspection.

He said checking speed limit violations did not fall under the purview of the RTA.

However, sources say that a few months back, the deputy commissioner had recommended to the RTA to ban the buses entry in the city limits to avoid accidents, but later the authority’s secretary gave them permission to operate in the crowded areas.

Later City police Station House Officer Mr Ansar held dialogues with the protesters and assured them that justice would be done.

Yousafwal police impounded the bus and registered a case against the driver after arresting him.

Traffic police officials claimed that only RTA had the authority to cancel the route permit of the bus.

DRUGS RECOVERED: Bahadur Shah police claimed to have arrested two women allegedly involved in selling of drugs.

SHO Malik Nadeem claimed that police recovered one-and-a-half kilograms of hashish and heroin from Samina Bibi and Noreen Bibi and registered separate cases against them.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022