Two students of an ashram school died and three others were critically injured after the motorcycle they were travelling on reportedly skidded and fell into a roadside pit in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. The accident occurred in the early hours of October 19 in the Kongdi Ghat area of Jawhar taluka, as the students were returning to their school after attending a Navratri celebration and village fair in Sarsun. Police identified the deceased as Sumit Motiram Bhingal and Pritam Ganesh Potinda.

According to police, the five students were studying at Hiradpada Gagangiri Ashram School and had allegedly left the hostel without permission to attend the festivities. They were travelling together on a single motorcycle when the accident occurred between approximately 2.30 am and 3 am. The circumstances surrounding how the students obtained the two-wheeler and travelled outside the school premises are now under scrutiny.

A passing motorist alerted the Jawhar police after noticing the accident. The injured students were initially taken to a cottage hospital in Jawhar before being transferred to a hospital in Nashik for advanced medical treatment because of the severity of their injuries. The three survivors were reported to be in critical condition, while police began examining the circumstances that led to the crash.

Also Read: CBSE Class 10 Students Must Take First Board Exam To Qualify For Second

The incident has raised concerns about student supervision and security arrangements at the residential institution. An inquiry conducted by the Integrated Tribal Development Project reportedly identified lapses, including non-residential students being allowed into the hostel and CCTV cameras remaining non-functional despite earlier warnings. The findings have prompted questions about how the five students were able to leave the premises during the night without being detected by school authorities.

Following the incident, Siddharth Ramkumar, the ITDP project officer and assistant collector in Jawhar, issued show-cause notices to the school management, headmaster, hostel warden and security watchman. The institution subsequently suspended the headmaster, warden and watchman amid mounting concerns over student safety. A local organisation has also demanded that a criminal case be registered against the school officials and management trustees under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Also Read: Malaysia Tops Ipsos Healthcare Perception Index, With India Ranking Third