Panic grips parents after 3 pvt school buses carrying students go 'untraced' for few hrs

Kolkata: After a vernacular channel telecast that three school buses carrying students of a private school in Mahisbathan area of Salt Lake went missing on Friday, panic spread among parents. However, it was later found that the children had boarded wrong buses mistakenly, leading to confusion. The students, therefore, reached their respective homes a bit late than the scheduled time.

According to reports, the mobile phones of the drivers of the 'missing buses' were also switched off, adding to the worries of the parents. Sources said the buses had left the campus by 12 noon. However, some students didn't return home at the scheduled time. The anxious parents started contacting the school authorities due to the delay. Some had even visited the campus. However, the buses were traced after about two hours. As the news spread, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths went to the school to verify the incident. The school authorities claimed that since the school had reopened on Friday after a gap of about two years, the confusion occurred as some students boarded buses of wrong routes. According to reports, the school authorities would investigate why the mobile phones of the drivers were switched off. A section of guardians claimed that due to the mismanagement of the school authority, several students boarded wrong buses. "This was detected only when the buses had travelled mid-way. The drivers of the three buses dropped the students—who had boarded the wrong vehicles— to their homes even as they were not supposed to ply on those routes. This resulted in delay and other students also reached their homes late," said some parents.

However, the agency that provides buses for the students claimed that the confusion cropped up after two students—who were supposed to have been picked up by their parents— boarded the buses mistakenly.The agency further claimed that the buses were detained for a search. "The students—who had boarded wrong buses— were found seated in the two vehicles with their friends. After these students were handed over to their guardians, the buses were allowed to start," said officials from the agency.