Damoh bus accident: Two Class 8 girls killed, one critical on Damoh-Jabalpur Highway
Synopsis
A passenger bus struck three schoolgirls walking to school near Abhana village on the Damoh-Jabalpur Highway on Saturday, killing two Class 8 students and leaving a third critical. The deaths triggered a highway blockade and stone-pelting by enraged villagers, forcing senior officials including the district collector to rush to the spot.
Key Takeaways
Dasoda Patel, 14 , and Aarushi Thakur, 14 , both Class 8 students, were killed in the accident on 10 October 2026 .
A third girl, Nitya Sen , was critically injured and admitted to Damoh district hospital .
The accident occurred near Abhana village on the Damoh-Jabalpur State Highway under Nohta police station limits.
Angry villagers blocked the highway and pelted buses with stones; police were deployed to restore order.
Damoh Collector Pratap Narayan Yadav ordered the immediate seizure of the bus involved.
Two Class 8 schoolgirls were killed and a third left critically injured after a passenger bus struck them on the Damoh-Jabalpur State Highway in Damoh district, Madhya Pradesh, on Saturday, 10 October 2026. The accident, which occurred near Abhana village under the Nohta police station limits, triggered an angry protest by local residents who blocked the highway and pelted passing buses with stones.
What Happened
The three girls were on their way to school when the passenger bus hit them on the busy state highway. The deceased have been identified as Dasoda Patel, 14, and Aarushi Thakur, 14, both students of Class 8. The injured girl, Nitya Sen, was rushed to the district hospital for treatment, where she remained in a critical condition. According to police, other schoolgirls in the vicinity were also caught up in the incident, though the exact number of those injured varied across accounts.
Official Response
Tendukheda Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Archana Ahir confirmed the fatalities and the injury. She noted that family members and villagers had staged a roadblock protest following the accident. 'Family members and villagers staged a protest on the road after the incident,' Ahir said, adding that officials had assured those gathered that their demands would be addressed promptly.
Damoh Collector Pratap Narayan Yadav visited the district hospital to meet the injured girl and her family. He directed the District Transport Officer to seize the bus involved in the accident immediately. Naib Tehsildar Raghunandan Chaturvedi also visited the hospital to speak with the bereaved families.
Protests and Highway Disruption
Angry villagers descended on the accident site and blocked the highway, causing significant disruption to traffic on the Damoh-Jabalpur route. Some protesters pelted buses with stones. Police personnel were deployed in strength to manage the situation, calm the crowd, and restore movement on the highway. Officials worked to address the protestors' demands as they persuaded them to clear the road.
Pattern of Road Safety Failures
The incident adds to a troubling pattern of road accidents involving schoolchildren on Madhya Pradesh's state highways, where inadequate pedestrian infrastructure and overspeeding vehicles have repeatedly been cited as causes. This comes amid broader national concern over road safety for children commuting on foot or by bicycle on undivided highways, particularly in rural districts. Demands for better road safety measures, bus driver accountability, and pedestrian crossings near schools are expected to intensify following this incident.
Authorities have indicated that a full investigation is underway, and the fate of the bus driver remains subject to police action.
Point of View
Where schoolchildren regularly share carriageways with heavy vehicles. The official response followed the familiar script: a collector's visit, a bus seizure order, and assurances to protesters. What rarely follows is structural change. Unless Madhya Pradesh moves beyond incident-by-incident firefighting to enforce speed limits, install pedestrian crossings near schools, and hold transport operators accountable, such tragedies will continue to repeat on its highways.
NationPress
10 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Damoh bus accident on 10 October 2026?
A passenger bus struck three Class 8 schoolgirls near Abhana village on the Damoh-Jabalpur State Highway in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, 10 October 2026, killing two and critically injuring a third. The girls were walking to school when the accident occurred.
Who were the students killed in the Damoh accident?
The deceased were identified as Dasoda Patel, 14, and Aarushi Thakur, 14, both Class 8 students. The injured girl, Nitya Sen, was taken to Damoh district hospital for treatment.
Why did villagers protest after the Damoh accident?
Residents of the area blocked the Damoh-Jabalpur highway and pelted buses with stones in anger over the deaths of the two schoolgirls. Officials, including Tendukheda SDOP Archana Ahir, assured protesters that their demands would be addressed, and police were deployed to restore order.
What action did authorities take after the accident?
Damoh Collector Pratap Narayan Yadav visited the district hospital and directed the District Transport Officer to seize the bus involved immediately. Naib Tehsildar Raghunandan Chaturvedi also met the bereaved families, and police launched an investigation.
Where exactly did the Damoh bus accident occur?
The accident took place near Abhana village on the Damoh-Jabalpur State Highway, within the jurisdiction of Nohta police station in Damoh district, Madhya Pradesh.
