LAHORE: A female student of the Punjab University died after being hit by a speeding bus of the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road on Wednesday.

Iram Manzoor, 22, of Muridke, a student of MSc Statistics Part-I, was crossing the Maulana Shaukat Ali Road when she was hit by an LTC bus. The girl suffered critical injuries and died on the spot.

Muslim Town police shifted the body to city morgue for an autopsy and registered a case against the bus drive, Shahid.

The police also impounded the bus and arrested the driver.

According to Rescue 1122 data, around 13,620 people lost their lives and more than 1.19 million were injured in 996,032 road traffic accidents in the 32 districts of Punjab during the last four years.

After the accident, a large number of students gathered on the spot and staged a protest demonstration by blocking the road for any kind of traffic.

The students chanted slogans against the government for failing to install a pedestrian bridge on the road.

They said the pedestrian bridge on the road was under construction from last two years.

An LDA official on condition of anonymity said the bridge was not part of the original road plan and was added to it later. He claimed the installation of the bridge would be complete in a week or two.

Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Mueen Nasir also expressed deep sense of sorrow over the incident. He directed officials concerned to take immediate measures to avoid such incidents in future.

In his condolence message, the VC prayed that “the departed soul may rest in eternal peace and Almighty Allah may grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.”

The father of the deceased student is an employee at the Pakistan Railways.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also expressed his deep sorrow over the death of the PU student in an accident and extended sympathies to the bereaved family.

The CM also sought a report about the accident and ordered legal action against the driver responsible for her death.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2017