Children at risk: Unsafe school vans under scrutiny in Ludhiana
Acting on a complaint filed by a city resident, the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (PSCPCR) has directed district education authorities to take strict action to enforce the Safe School Vehicle Scheme under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The move comes amid growing concerns about the safety of school children travelling in unfit and unauthorised vehicles in Ludhiana.
Ajay Sharma, a resident of New Shakti Vihar, Jassian Road, had submitted a detailed complaint on April 23, 2025, pointing out the presence of hundreds of school buses and vans plying in the city without proper safety standards. According to Sharma, many of these vehicles are operating with fake number plates and lack basic safety infrastructure. He also accused the traffic police, Regional Transport Office (RTO), and district child protection officials of negligence in checking these violations.
In response, the office of the district education officer (elementary) has taken cognisance of the matter. Joint director Rajwinder Singh Gill confirmed in a formal communication that schools will now be inspected to ensure full compliance with the Safe School Vehicle Scheme, and that coordination with the RTO is being established to initiate vehicle checks.
This issue, Sharma said, is not new. He had previously filed a contempt petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2015 against prominent schools for failing to adhere to safety norms. In 2023, his complaint also led to an FIR at Police Division No. 8 against school vans using forged number plates.
The commission has now reiterated the need for immediate compliance by all departments concerned. Officials have been reminded of their legal obligations under the Juvenile Justice Act and RTE Act to ensure children's safety during school commutes.
District education officer (elementary) Ravinder Kaur said, 'I will get it checked and direct the official concerned to take appropriate action and conduct inspections in this regard.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Lured with hospital jobs, 3 Bangladeshi women trafficked to Mumbai and forced into sex trade
The Malvani police arrested a 53-year-old man Saturday and are currently searching for his three accomplices for allegedly trafficking three women from Bangladesh to Mumbai, misleading them with false promises of employment at a hospital, only to force them into the sex trade. The police rescued the three Bangladeshi women and sent them to a shelter home. According to the police, acting on specific information, the Malwani police raided a house Saturday night and rescued the three women. During the initial investigation, when the women's statements were recorded, it was revealed that they are Bangladeshi nationals from poor families. The women were desperately seeking work to support their families, the police said. The victims told the police that the accused falsely promised them jobs in hospitals in Mumbai. Last month, they were allegedly brought to Mumbai by illegally crossing the international border between India and Bangladesh. The accused allegedly bribed some government officials at the border to facilitate their illegal entry into India. The police registered a suo motu FIR and arrested Mansar Ahmed Sheikh, a Malvani resident, and are looking for Mehandi Hassan, Sanjeev alias Bachchan, and Akash alias Shaheen. The group members also allegedly helped one of the three women in making an Aadhaar card in her name to conceal her Bangladeshi nationality, an officer said. The four accused have been booked under sections 143(3) [trafficking of person], 144(2) [Exploitation of a trafficked person], 336(3) [crime of forgery], and 3(5) [common intention] of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 4 and 5 of the Illegal Trafficking (Prevention) Act. The police are investigating whether the group trafficked women and forced them into the flesh trade in the past.
India Gazette
3 hours ago
- India Gazette
Punjab police arrest three with foreign-made arms linked to Jugraj Singh's smuggling network
Amritsar (Punjab) [India], June 8 (ANI): In a major crackdown on cross-border arms smuggling networks, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police arrested three associates of notorious smuggler Jugraj Singh and seized six sophisticated foreign-made weapons, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday. The operation was carried out by the ANTF's Border Range unit based in Amritsar. According to DGP Yadav, preliminary investigation has revealed that Jugraj Singh, the kingpin of the smuggling racket, orchestrated the arms trafficking from inside Goindwal Jail. He is alleged to have operated the illegal syndicate through his advocate's *Munshi* (clerk). A case has been registered under the Arms Act at Police Station ANTF, SAS Nagar. The arrested individuals are believed to be key aides of Jugraj Singh and were actively involved in receiving and distributing the smuggled firearms within the state. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the network, said the police. In a separate incident earlier today, Amritsar Rural Police arrested two key traffickers near Village Bhakna and seized 6 kilograms of high-grade heroin. Based on specific intelligence inputs, police intercepted two individuals--Gurditta alias Kalu and Captain--while they were transporting a heroin consignment on a motorcycle. According to the officials on Sunday, the heroin consignment had been smuggled into India by Pakistan-based handlers and was further meant for distribution across Punjab. An FIR has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Police Station Gharinda. The DGP said that preliminary investigations are still ongoing to unravel the full extent of the drug supply chain, including cross-border linkages. Earlier on Friday, the Punjab Police Counter-Intelligence (CI) unit in Amritsar successfully identified and dismantled a cross-border illegal arms smuggling network with connections to Pakistan. As a result of this operation, two operatives involved in the smuggling activities have been arrested, Punjab Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, said. According to a release, those arrested are Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Daoke in Amritsar, and Jugraj Singh, a resident of Bhakna Kalan in Amritsar. The police teams also recovered eight sophisticated pistols--three 9MM Glocks, four Px5s, and one .30-bore pistol--from their possession and impounded their black motorcycle, which was used for transporting the consignments. The DGP said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were acting under the directions of a Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Noor, a resident of Manihala in Pakistan, who has been using drones to drop weapon consignments from across the border. The arrested accused were further distributing the arms to gangsters across Punjab, intending to fuel criminal activities in the state, he said. Sharing operation details, the DGP said that CI Amritsar received specific intelligence about the retrieval of a weapon consignment from the village of Bhaini Rajputtan in the jurisdiction of Gharinda in Amritsar. (ANI)
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Girl found dead inside suitcase in northeast Delhi; family alleges sexual assault, stages protest
A nine-year-old girl was found stuffed in a suitcase at a neighbour's house in northeast Delhi's Dayalpur area, triggering protests by family members and locals who alleged sexual assault and murder of the minor. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the area on Sunday to maintain law and order. Police sources said the perpetrator seems to have fled after stuffing her in a suitcase. Senior officials of the Delhi Police said all angles are being probed, including sexual assault. "We are awaiting the autopsy report to confirm the cause of death. Teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused. We are taking this matter with utmost seriousness," a police officer said. The child, a resident of Nehru Vihar, had gone to give ice to a relative living nearby around 7 pm, her family said. When she did not return home for a long time, her parents began searching for her. According to the victim's father, they approached several relatives and neighbours, but no one had seen her after her brief visit to one relative's house. "She had only gone to deliver some ice to our relatives. They said she stayed for five minutes and left. But she never came back. We looked everywhere. Finally, someone told us she was seen entering a house nearby. That's where we found her in a suitcase," he said. The girl's father alleged that when he reached the house, it was locked. Suspecting something was wrong, he broke the lock and entered the room. Inside, he found his daughter stuffed in a bloodstained suitcase. They rushed her to a local clinic, but the doctor asked them to take her to a hospital immediately. At Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Shastri Park, doctors declared her brought dead, the father said. A PCR call reporting the incident was received at Dayalpur police station around 8.41 pm, police said. A police team was immediately dispatched to Gali No. 2, Nehru Vihar, where they learned that the girl had already been taken to Jag Pravesh Chandra (JPC) Hospital by her father, a senior police officer said. Hospital authorities informed the police that the girl was declared dead. Doctor indicated possible sexual assault "Prima facie, doctors observed visible injuries on her face and have indicated possible sexual assault," a senior police officer said. Following the incident, crime scene and forensic science laboratory (FSL) teams were called to inspect the spot and collect evidence. Police said they are working to identify and apprehend the perpetrator. A case has been registered at Dayalpur Police Station under relevant sections of the BNS, along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. "Multiple teams have been deployed to collect clues and trace the accused. The investigation is being done on priority," the officer added. Protest in neighbourhood The incident sparked massive outrage in the neighbourhood. Soon after news of the girl's death spread, hundreds of residents, including the girl's relatives, blocked a nearby road and sat on dharna demanding justice. The protestors raised slogans against the police, alleging negligence, and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprit. Several shopkeepers were forced to shut down their establishments due to the tension in the area. Many of them said they were afraid of violence and chose to shut down shutters after protesters began marching through the market lanes. With the situation getting tense, a heavy police force was deployed in Nehru Vihar and adjoining areas to maintain law and order. Later, paramilitary personnel were also called in as a precautionary measure. Senior police officers were seen trying to pacify the crowd and reassure the family that strict action would be taken in the case. Traffic movement in the Dayalpur area was severely affected, with commuters stuck for hours. Vehicles were seen taking alternate routes, and several emergency services faced delays due to the road blockade. The victim's mother was seen inconsolable and in a state of deep shock. "She was crying and screaming 'bring back my daughter...'," a neighbour said, holding back tears. The victim's father said he was devastated and demanded justice. "We got to know about what happened very late. The police came around 1 am and collected evidence from the house. But the main accused is still roaming free. I will not rest until he is punished," he said.
