Burhanpur (MP): Twenty students were injured on Wednesday morning when their speeding school bus overturned near a riverbank in Nepanagar town of Madhya Pradesh, the police said.

About The Accident

The accident took place around 7.30 am near the Dharni river as the bus, apparently being driven at a very high speed, veered off the road and overturned, Nepanagar sub-divisional officer of police Nirbhay Singh Alwa told media from the spot.

Four of the students sustained hand or leg fractures and injuries to the head, he said, adding that the injured students were admitted to nearby government and private hospitals.

Some of the students told officials that they had asked the driver to slow down but he did not pay heed, Alwa said.

The incident took place 45 km from Burhanpur and more than 300 km from state capital Bhopal.

The bus was on its way to the Senior Secondary School at Nepanagar, a town famous for paper mills.

A case of rash and negligent driving was registered against the driver who fled from the spot, and the police were searching for him, the official said.

Badlapur: A 59-year-old woman lost her life after being hit by a speeding car near the Panvelkar Bhoomi Complex in Kharwai, Badlapur, on Monday morning. The victim, Mathura Rama Irle, was a resident of Kharwai and had stepped out for her routine morning walk. She was walking along the left-side lane towards Badlapur station when the fatal accident occurred around 5:30 am near a petrol pump.

According to eyewitnesses and CCTV footage from the area, the driver of the vehicle lost control and crashed into Mathura with great force. The impact was so severe that she was thrown several feet and died on the spot. A CCTV footage shared on the internet by Marathi news portal shows the exact moments when the speeding car hit the elderly woman and the driver fled away, leaving her to die.

Accused Driver Arrested

Following the tragic incident, Mathura’s son, Navnath Irle, 32, filed a complaint against the driver. Based on this complaint, the Badlapur East police booked the driver, identified as 35-year-old Mayur Subhash ambavne, under culpable homicide not amounting to murder. ambavne, a resident of Badlapur East, was arrested soon after the accident.

A police spokesperson stated that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. Authorities are also checking whether ambavne was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. “We are awaiting test results to confirm if intoxication played a role. Further investigations are ongoing,” the official added.

Residents Raise Issue Of Accidents

Several locals have pointed out that despite past accidents, there has been little enforcement of traffic regulations to curb such incidents. Some have also demanded that authorities take stricter measures against drunk driving and introduce better speed control mechanisms.

Pundalik Narvekar, a resident, raised concerns of the rising number of accidents in the area in the wee hours. “Drivers attempt speeding on these roads as there is less traffic in wee hours. However, such acts turn tragic for pedestrians when they are caught in crashes like these,” said Narvekar.

New Delhi, Feb 17: In the wake of the tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station in which over 18 people were killed and over a dozen were injured, the Railway Ministry has announced a comprehensive overhaul of crowd management protocols across the country.

As part of a special six-month campaign, Delhi’s railway stations will undergo significant improvements to enhance passenger safety and streamline their movement.

On Monday, the Ministry rolled out a series of initiatives aimed at preventing overcrowding and ensuring smoother passenger flow.

According to the Ministry, sixty high-traffic railway stations will now feature designated holding areas to control crowds effectively.

Advanced monitoring systems will track passenger density, particularly during train delays.

Local railway officials will receive specialised training in situational awareness and crisis management, the Ministry said.

Thirty-five key railway stations connected to Prayagraj will be under constant surveillance by the Central Railway War Room.

New Delhi Railway Station alone has seen the installation of 200 CCTV cameras to enhance security and monitoring.

With passenger numbers reaching 17 lakh at a single railway station during Mauni Amavasya, strategic measures have been introduced to manage such surges.

Holding areas and colour-coded enclosures will guide the movement of passengers in a more structured manner. Arrows and separators will help passengers navigate towards designated holding areas efficiently.

Twenty-one underpasses have been constructed in the last two years to ease pedestrian movement, the Ministry of Railways said.

Given that 90 per cent of Kumbh devotees travel from within a 300 km radius across four states, targeted monitoring will be implemented at relevant railway stations.

As per the new measures, cameras will be used to prevent congestion and unauthorised sitting on staircases and landing areas.

These proactive measures reflect the Railways’ commitment to passenger safety and efficient crowd management, ensuring that India’s bustling railway hubs remain secure and organised.

Earlier, the Delhi Police deployed six inspector-rank officers at the New Delhi Railway Station to enhance crowd management.

These officers, drawn from different districts, were specifically chosen for their experience in handling operations at the New Delhi Railway Station, one of the busiest transit hubs in the country.

Some of these officers had earlier served as Station House Officers (SHOs) at the station, giving them a strong understanding of the logistical and security challenges posed by large crowds.

On Saturday night, a stampede at the station resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people, including five children, and left over a dozen injured.

The tragedy occurred due to a sudden surge of passengers waiting to board trains bound for Prayagraj.

The incident took place on the foot-overbridge connecting platform numbers 14 and 15, where some passengers slipped while descending, leading to panic and a fatal crush.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered an enquiry and set up a two-member high-level committee to investigate the lapses.

Following the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, other stations in the country have also implemented emergency measures.