Nagpur: Eighteen coaching class students had a narrow escape early Friday morning when the minibus ferrying them was hit side-on by NMC’s Aapli Bus at Panchsheel Chowk, leading to minor injuries to four. The injured were discharged after treatment at a nearby private hospital.There were no passengers in the civic bus when it crashed into the minibus around 7am while it was heading to Sitabuldi bus depot from Khapri.PI of Sitabuldi police station Suhas Raut said, “Fortunately, there was no serious injury to anyone. It is a minor accident and neither parents nor the bus driver wanted to register a complaint, but we did it on our own and further investigation is on.”Students suffered injuries from glass shards after a window broke and they fell from their seats following the impact. One student had a cut on the side of his face. Raut said, “All four students were discharged within an hour of receiving treatment.”The minibus ferrying students of a well known coaching institute was heading from Yeshwant Stadium towards Canal Road via Panchsheel Chowk. The bus owner Shekhar S told TOI that since it was early in the morning, traffic lights were not functioning. “Our vehicle had already crossed the junction going towards Canal Road when suddenly the Aapli Bus rammed. If it had been our fault then the damage to our vehicle would have been from the front. It is the NMC bus whose front glass got shattered, which proves which vehicle was in the wrong,” said Shekhar. He added that all students were safe and went home after getting initial treatment. “All of them were students of Class 11 and 12, going for coaching classes,” added Shekhar.Since the minibus had the name “St Ursula Girls High School” painted across its side, it led to confusion that girl students from the school were in the bus. But school principal Sheetal Peter clarified that the minibus had no connection with the school and none of their students were on board.It is common practice in Nagpur for many school vans and mini buses to paint names of schools whose students they ferry, even though they are hired directly by parents. And even after these vehicle owners move on to the more lucrative business of transporting coaching class students, they do not remove name of the school.After visuals of the minibus went viral on social media, Peter wrote a letter to the local education department as well as RTO, saying their school has no connection to the vehicle involved in the accident.
