Mumbai: Hit by school van, girl dies after 11 days

Meenashree Bahera, 11, the victim; (right) The school van that allegedly ran over the girl. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The eleven-day struggle of the 11-year-old girl who was run over by a school van at Mankhurd came to an end on Wednesday night. The girl breathed her last at LTMG hospital. The girl identified as Meenashree Bahera had been seriously injured after being hit by the school van and dragged for some distance. At the time of the incident the girl was with her father shopping for fish at the Maharashtra Nagar market.

The spot near Maharashtra Nagar tunnel where the accident had occurred witnessed five-six hours of tension on Thursday as the bereaved father Parmeshwar Bahera, 40, made the ambulance carrying the victim's body stop and refused to move further. Resorting to this protest, Bahera demanded stringent action by the police. The police had a hard time as relatives and locals who joined Bahera turned into a crowd.

It took the police five-six hours of convincing Bahera and others that they would indeed take stringent action against the accused driver. The family finally relented and proceeded to do the final rites of the girl.

"The police have registered a case when my girl was alive and arrested the accused who was then let out on bail. But my daughter is no more. We protested by demanding strict action against the driver and the owner of the van. The police assured us that they would take strict action. We demand justice for our daughter. The case is similar to the Worli and Pune hit and run case," said Bahera.

Bahera runs a small pan shop in Maharashtra Nagar and though he has three children only the youngest, 11-year-old Meenashree, lived with him and his wife at Maharashtra Nagar. His elder sons are at their native place.

The Trombay police had earlier registered a case under section 279, 337 and 338 of the BNS and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Rajesh Shinde, senior police inspector, Trombay police station said: "We have arrested the accused and are investigating the case. We will add further sections and take strict action accordingly."

11
Age in years of the victim