7-year-old child dies after his neck is caught in door of bus in Vadodara

A seven-year-old student, Divyesh Rathwa, tragically died after his neck became entangled in the front passenger door of a bus parked at a workshop in Vadodara on Thursday, August 20. Initial footage from CCTV cameras in the vicinity shows the boy, dressed in a red T-shirt and brown trousers, hanging by his neck from the bus door.

However, the minutes leading up to this incident remain unclear, as no footage exists from that period. The Kapurai police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Divyesh's death. Divyesh's father, Rakesh Rathwa, informed the police that his son had returned home from school around 12:30 pm and then went out again to collect prasad.

Later, the family learned from others that Divyesh was at an automobile repair workshop on the Suryanagar-Tarsali bypass in Vadodara. Upon arriving at the scene, the family found Divyesh lying motionless near the bus. An ambulance was called, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. CCTV footage reveals the boy’s body hanging from the door, with people attempting to free him by pushing the door.

The driver of a car in the vicinity also rushed to help, raising an alarm and gathering others to assist in freeing the child. The Rathwa family originally comes from Pavi Jetpur taluka of the tribal district of Chhota Udepur, and the boy's father is employed at a private biogas company in Vadodara. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

Preliminary information suggests that the incident occurred after the luxury bus had been parked at the workshop, and the driver had gone to have tea. It is unclear how or why Divyesh reached the workshop and what he was doing there. However, it is noted that children often visit the area to play. A forensic team has been called in to collect evidence that could determine whether the automatic hydraulic bus door, which had been closed, could be opened with pressure applied by a child.

Additionally, police are investigating a 15-minute gap in the CCTV feed from the time of the incident, which may indicate either a deliberate action or a technical issue like a power cut.