BAHAWALPUR: Three schoolchildren were killed by a speeding trailer on Karachi-Lahore highway near Musafir Khana, about 30km from here.

The children, namely two girls and a boy, were students of the Al-Saleem School. After the incident, the local people gave a beating to the driver and injured him.

The incident also sparked a protest by the families of the deceased and the locals who allegedly attacked the school building, ransacked it and blocked the highway.

District Emergency Officer Baqir Hussain identified the victims as Muhammad Farhan (16), Kiran (10) and Aliza (15).

District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Kamran told Dawn the accident took place when the children after the school closing hours were crossing the road and the trailer crushed them. Three were killed on the spot.

A large number of people gathered at the scene. They got hold of the trailer driver, Mukram Shah, and beat him severely. He was rescued by Rescue 1122 officials and police who shifted him to Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) where he was stated to be under treatment.

Later, the people held a protest against the school owner, Arshad Saleem, for not constructing an overhead bridge in front of the school on the highway although he had received funds from the government departments concerned for the purpose. They ransacked the school as well.

According to the DPO, the police officials went to arrest the school owner, he put up strong resistance and fired into the air. However, he was overpowered by the police officials while his school was sealed by the AC Saddar (Bahawalpur) for indefinite period.

DPO Kamran rushed to the scene and pacified the protesters by informing them that the driver and school owner had been arrested. At this, the protest ended and blockade of the national highway was lifted.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2021