School van mows down biker, cops rein in mob

A motorcyclist was killed when a school van ran him over in Panathur near Kadubeesanahalli under the Old Airport traffic police station limits on Thursday.

Quick intervention by the police prevented an angry mob from setting fire to the school van and assaulting its driver.

 Madesha, 50, a tea vendor from Panathur, was riding a two-wheeler when a speeding school van brushed against him, making him collapse and come under the van’s rear wheel. 

He died instantly. The accident occurred at 2.30 pm. Passersby took him to a hospital but doctors there declared him brought dead. 

“An angry crowd gathered at the spot and got angry at the driver. Some passersby threw stones at the van, breaking its windscreen. But our men rushed there on time and whisked the driver away before the mob could go berserk,” a senior police officer said. 

He continued, “Fortunately, there were no school students in the van when the accident occurred. We cannot disclose the driver’s identity as investigation is going on. Eyewitnesses are divided on how the accident occurred. Some say the victim’s bike had come in the way of the van while others claim the driver was negligent and rash. We are investigating the incident and will take the necessary action.”