Bengaluru Traffic Police find 36 school van drivers drunk; parents raise safety concerns
Bengaluru: A special drive conducted by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) to check school van drivers for alcohol consumption has revealed that 36 drivers tested positive, sparking serious concerns among parents and school authorities.
According to a report by The New Indian Express published on Sunday, the inspection held on October 24 covered 5,881 school vans across the city.
Menaka Reddy, Coordinator of the Parents Association Bengaluru East Corridor, said nine of the drivers who tested positive worked for schools in Bellandur and Domlur.
“We are working with the traffic department to ensure school managements conduct routine checks and counsel drivers regularly,” TNIE quoted her as saying.
Parent groups and schools have reaffirmed a zero-tolerance policy towards rash driving and alcohol use among drivers. One private school in the city said it strictly monitors drivers before every trip and dismisses anyone found under the influence of alcohol, adding that it maintains extra vigilance after long weekends or holidays.
N. Yogananda, General Secretary of the RTE Students and Parents Association, alleged that mandatory police verification of school staff, as required under a 2015 order, is often overlooked. He highlighted that if these instructions had been followed strictly, such incidents could have been avoided.
DCP (Traffic-East) Anup Shetty confirmed that notices have been issued to school authorities whose drivers tested positive. “The Regional Transport Office (RTO) has also been asked to suspend the licences of those drivers. “If a driver is found drunk, we inform the school to arrange an alternative, or we do so ourselves to ensure children reach safely,” TNIE quoted Shetty as saying.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
