Mini bus drivers flay district administration

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram District Passenger Mini Bus Drivers’ Welfare Association has come out against the district administration for its failure to monitor the vehicles taking children to school. It alleged that the absence of proper monitoring was the reason behind the suicide of a girl student of Holy Angels’ School in the city allegedly following sexual harassment by the driver of the van that took the girl to the school. Association president G S Santhosh told reporters here on Wednesday that the former District Collector had issued a directive on the norms to be followed for bringing students to schools. As part of the effort, the complete details of vehicles and drivers were collected by the district administration. However, not a single official had inspected the vehicles or drivers who took students to Holy Angels’ School. This was following the interference of some politicians, he said. There was a move to defame the drivers of mini buses in the wake of the incident, Santhosh said. The incident was an isolated one. The Association wanted stern punishment for the culprit, he added. The authorities of Holy Angels’ School, in a press meet here the other day, had denied that Praveen Kumar was the authorised driver of the school transport. He was running a private van which carried students to schools, they said. Reshma S Nair, 14, an eighth standard student of Holy Angels’ Convent Higher Secondary School in Vanchiyoor, is suspected to have committed suicide after she was molested by Praveen Kumar.