School bus tragedy: BJP Mahila Morcha’s memo to Guv for judicial probe

President of Punjab BJP Mahila Morcha Jai Inder Kaur has submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Punjab, demanding a judicial inquiry into the tragedy involving seven schoolchildren and their van driver from Bhupindra International School, who lost their lives in an accident on May 7.

The children were returning home from school when their van got crushed by a blacklisted, overloaded tipper truck, driven recklessly by a 19-year-old youth having only a learner’s licence. The tragedy unfolded on Samana Road, a narrow, neglected route, which has long posed dangers to daily commuters, especially schoolchildren.

Jai Inder expressed deep anguish over the shocking failure of the Patiala administration and local police as not only did they fail to prevent this entirely avoidable tragedy, but they also abandoned the grieving families in their darkest hour, offering no justice, no accountability and no answers.

“It took a full month for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to finally meet the bereaved families after public outrage and mounting pressure. Only then did the government reluctantly move into action by arresting the culprits,” she said.

She stated that a deep-rooted and politically shielded nexus is operating in Punjab, where illegal sand mining thrives in broad daylight, and blacklisted, overloaded tipper trucks move freely without any check. This is failure of not just the law enforcement agencies, but of the government itself.

“We demand a time-bound judicial probe, strict punishment for those responsible and immediate steps to dismantle the sand mafia nexus that operates openly in our state,” said Jai Inder.

The BJP Mahila Morcha has also demanded full support and compensation for the families and stringent reforms to protect schoolchildren from such mishaps in future. “This tragedy has shaken every mother’s heart. We will not rest until justice is served,” she added.

Chandigarh