Kid falls to death from crowded school auto

ROURKELA: A schoolkid Satyajit Rout (10) died on Monday morning after falling from an over-crowded autorickshaw at Chhend Colony. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested.Satyajit was a student of Chinmaya English Medium School.Police said 11 students, including the victim, were on their way to the school when the mishap took place around 6.45 am near the VSS market.Driver Dibakar Nayak applied sudden brake to give way to a cyclist as a result of which the kid fell on the paved road and was severely injured. He was rushed to the Ispat General Hospital only to be declared brought dead.Chhend Police immediately arrested the autorickshaw driver and produced him in court on charges of reckless driving and causing death by negligence.Following the incident, Rourkela SP Himanshu Lal has announced stringent action against vehicle drivers carrying schoolchildren more than the prescribed limit. A meeting to this effect has been scheduled for Tuesday at the district police headquarters to be attended by school authorities, school vehicle operators, transport regulatory authorities and guardians.