A heartbreaking incident claimed the life of four-year-old Pratham Lamani, a Lower Kindergarten student at Little Heart School in Shigli village, Lakshmeshwar taluk, Gadag district, Karnataka. The young child fatally fell from a moving private school bus on the outskirts of Doddur village while returning home, succumbing to severe injuries sustained in the accident.

Preliminary reports indicate that Pratham fell through the bus door approximately 200 to 300 metres before his designated drop-off point. His father, an Indian Army personnel on leave, had sent him to school as usual that day. The tragedy has sparked widespread grief and outrage among villagers, who have highlighted serious concerns over safety protocols in school transportation.

Grave accusations have been leveled against the bus driver and attendant by the bereaved family and local residents. It is alleged that, instead of immediately seeking medical assistance for the injured child, the staff placed him back inside the vehicle, continued the route without notifying authorities or parents, and later abandoned the bus in a secluded area before fleeing the scene.

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Lakshmeshwar Police promptly responded, conducting an on-site inspection and registering a case. The bus driver has been arrested, as confirmed by Gadag Superintendent of Police Rohan Jagadeesh, who described the event as an accident leading to the boy's death due to injuries. While acknowledging the allegations, the officer emphasized the need for recorded statements and verification before commenting on the exact sequence of events.

The family has expressed profound anguish over the perceived insensitivity of the school management, noting a delayed response and absence of representatives at the site hours after the incident. Villagers corroborated claims that the driver and attendant were nowhere to be found upon their arrival, intensifying demands for stringent accountability against all parties responsible for the lapses.

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