Safe transport: Punjab University student crushed by bus

The bus was overloaded and her daughter hadn’t been able to get on properly and slipped, the victim's mother said.

LAHORE:

A Punjab University student was crushed by a university bus on Wednesday.

Alisha Khalid, 19, a recently-admitted student at the Mass Communication Department, arrived at the bus stop at around 7.45am along with her mother. Shahida Khalid, the mother, told The Express Tribune that the bus had been overloaded and students had been standing at the doorstep. Her daughter hadn’t been able to get on properly and slipped. The bus drove over her head, killing her instantly, she said.

The bus driver fled the scene on foot. Onlookers gathered at the scene and blocked Model Town Link Road. Police, Rescue 1122 officials and forensics teams arrived at the scene, gathered evidence and then handed over the body to the family. Funeral prayers for the student were offered at her residence in Model Town’s K Block.

Meanwhile, Punjab University students boycotted classes and staged a sit-in at the vice chancellor’s office. The protesters said that there were only 56 buses for 32,000 students. The admin assured them that they would arrange for more buses.

PU administration officials said that the bus driver had later surrendered to the police. Model Town police station said that the family had pardoned the driver.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2013.