Bangalore: A private English-medium school in Chokkanahalli, five km from the Jakkur aerodrome, was burnt down on Wednesday evening by the incensed relatives and friends of a 19- year-old college student, who was killed when a school van knocked him down in Sampigehalli police limits on Tuesday evening.
The mob, which staged a protest on Wednesday evening against the school management, vandalised the premises and burnt the school down. SamÂpigeÂhalli police, suspect the miscreants may have also stolen valuables, from the school.
Police have identified the deceased as Sampath Kumar, a resident of ChoÂkÂkanahalli. He was studying for I PUC at a government college in Jakkur.
The accident took place at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday, when Sampath was sitting on his bike, which was parked on the side of the road.
A school van from Greengrove International School, driven by the school's security guard Sharana Basappa Patil (who was allegedly drunk), rammed into his bike, throwing Sampath onto the road. He sustained grave head injuries and died later, at a private hospital.
Passersby caught the offender Patil, handed him over to Sampigehalli police the same evening. Luckily, there were no students in the van; Patil was driving it back from the mechanic’s and had stopped for drinks on the way.
Nearly 50 locals gathered near the school on Tuesday night demanding compensation to the victim’s family. Since the school owner was nowhere in sight, Anand, who owns the land, dispersed the crowd.
Trouble brewed on Wednesday morning, when a 100-member strong crowd comprising relatives, friends, and locals protested at the school, Sampath’s body in tow.
Frustrated by the management’s apathy, protesters turned violent, raiding the school and then setting it ablaze Fire and emergency services personnel soon brought the fire under control, police said.
Senior police officers who expected more trouble, ordered a clampdown of the entire area and deployed three platoons of the Karnataka Stare Reserve Police (KSRP).
Meanwhile, school authorities denied any wrong doing. Aruna Rajashekar, said, "School authoÂrities had left the van keys with the security, who were supposed to give them to the agency which handles the vans. We don't know the driver or why he used the school van. Attacking the school was not fair," she said.
