Goons vandalise school bus, beat up driver as kids scream for help

Lucknow: In an apparent case of road rage, a school bus carrying 40 children of a private school was vandalized in broad daylight by some goons near DLF Garden City in Mohanlalganj area on Tuesday.

The armed attackers assaulted the bus driver and conductor, smashed windows, and left terrified schoolchildren screaming in fear.

Police said the incident occurred around 4pm when the school bus driver Rehan Khan was en route to dropping children at their homes. As the bus approached DLF Garden City, an unknown man riding a motorcycle forced the vehicle to stop. Without warning, the man climbed aboard and began punching and kicking Rehan.

When conductor Neeraj Patel tried to intervene, the attacker turned on him too, leading to a scuffle inside the bus.

The assailant called for backup, and soon some more men joined the man. Together, they stormed the bus, breaking windows and smashing the driver's phone.

Inside the bus, children — some as young as six — were sobbing, screaming and clinging to their seats.

According to the driver's statement, one of the goons held the conductor hostage, further escalating the chaos. The bus remained stranded for nearly 45 minutes, during which the children were left vulnerable and traumatised.

Somehow, despite his injuries, the driver managed to drive the bus to safety.

"It was pure terror. A few more minutes and we do not know what could have happened," he told police.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mohanlalganj, Rajneesh Kumar, said Mohanlalganj police have registered a case and were scanning CCTV footage to identify the attackers.

He said the initial probe indicate that the biker thought the bus driver might have run over him and despite him raising an alarm the driver abused and ignored him.