KARACHI, Dec 10: A five-year-old boy was run over by a bus in Pak Colony on Monday. Angry residents of the area set the bus and a passenger coach on fire following the accident.

According to the police and the area people, Zaibunnisa, a resident of Hasrat Mohani Colony, was taking back her son Kumail, aged 5, from a kindergarten school in Pak Colony. As she was walking across Manghopir Road between Bismillah Hotel and Bara Board, a recklessly-driven bus of route-20 knocked down Zaibunnisa and her son.

The cries of Zaibunnisa and her son drew the attention of the people. With blood dripping from his injuries, the seriously injured Kumail was writhing in agony. His mother was also injured and blood was oozing from her injuries. The boy died on the spot.

People became furious, they up beat the bus driver and set the bus (JA-0668) ablaze. They also stopped a passenger coach (PE-4454) and set it on fire. People raised slogans against reckless driving and the government’s failure to rein in the drivers of public transport vehicles.

The police reached and freed the driver from the mob. “Had we not taken the driver, Ashfaquddin, into custody, the mob would have beaten him to death,” said a police officer.

After having failed to control the agitating people, who were pelting moving vehicles with stones, the police resorted to baton charge and teargas shelling to disperse them. Later, the police brought the situation under control and cleared the road.

The mother and son were rushed to a hospital. Sources at the hospital said that Zaibunnisa had suffered serious fractures to the legs, but she was out of danger. The police arrested the driver and registered a case.

In New Karachi police limits, a motorcyclist was injured when he was hit by a Khan Coach (PE-4841). The motorcyclist, later identified as Waseem, was taken to a hospital.

An angry crowd set the passenger coach on fire. They blocked the road for half an hour and shouted slogans against reckless driving on the city roads.

The police controlled the situation.