NEW DELHI: Some little children on the school bus that was attacked by a mob in Gurgaon yesterday were hurt when they had to crouch on a floor littered with broken glass, a bus employee said today.
There were around 30 children, mostly nursery students, when the bus was caught in protests against the film Padmaavat at Sohna Road, barely seven kilometres from the school.
"There was a traffic jam. We were trying to find out what happened. We saw a bus being burnt. The police drove out the protesters but they returned, came out of the bushes and attacked our bus," the conductor said.
Around 60 goons threw stones and used bamboo sticks to stop the bus, the bus conductor said.
There were children on almost every seat. As a large stone hit a window in the rear, most children burst into tears. Frightened children ducked and fell onto the floor as stones came flying from all sides.
"They were very scared. The teachers tried to calm them down while keeping them safe. Some children were injured by the broken glass."
Stones were thrown by around 60 goons who also hit the bus with bamboo sticks, trying to stop it.
Ignoring the banging, the driver manoeuvered the bus to safety. "The safety of the children was most important. We didn't care about the damage or anything at that point. Nothing else mattered," the conductor said, choking up with emotion.
Had the driver not kept moving, worse could have happened, he believed.
Many schools in Gurgaon and Noida are shut today.
"The staff handled the situation, teachers didn't let students panic. We are grateful to our staff who were able to tackle the situation so beautifully as they are trained for this," said Neeta Bali, principal of the GD Goenka school.
Padmaavat released today amid violent protests by groups like Karni Sena who insist that the film hurts Rajput pride and twists the story of 14th-century Queen Padmini and Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who launched an invasion to capture her.