Tragic accident: Dozens protest student’s death

14-year-old Shahzaib was run over by a bus he was trying to board on Friday.

LAHORE: Dozens of students of Govt High School Model Town staged a protest demonstration at Akbar Chowk on Saturday against the death of one of their schoolmates in a traffic accident.

Fourteen-year-old Shahzaib, a resident of Liaqatabad, was run over by a bus he was trying to board on Friday.

Around 50 students gathered at Akbar Chowk and stopped a B-36 route bus. They damaged the bus and chanted slogans against the bus operator. The protesters were dispersed an hour later by a contingent of Faisal Town police.

Deceased Shahzaib had tried to board a B-36 route bus on his way home from school. Before he could get in, the bus started moving. He fell and was run over by the bus. The driver and conductor of the bus were arrested on Friday.

Earlier, Shahzaib’s family had refused permission to police for conducting his post mortem examination. He was buried in a graveyard at Charar village near Defence Housing Society. “Shahzaib had wanted to be a professional photographer,” said Mauzam Nadeem.

“He did not jump onto a moving bus. He was trying to board the bus like many other students. We all wanted to reach home as early as possible after school. Before all the students could get in, the bus driver tried to speed away. This caused the accident,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2015.