05 January,2018 12:45 PM IST | Pune | Chaitraly Deshmukh
Representation pic
A school excursion for 45 students of Bansidar Jadhav Secondary School ended on a sad note, as they were forced to stay without food for several hours after the bus in which they were returning from Alibaug was stopped by the police near Khopoli on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in view of the Maharashtra bandh.
However, the Khopoli police and some local residents, who run the group Apaghaat Grashtra Madatisathi came to the rescue of the children and the teachers on Wednesday morning. They not only arranged for food, but also provided them shelter at a Khopoli-based ashram.
Seeking help
According to sources, the children were travelling with four teachers in an ST bus when the vehicle was stopped near Khopoli on Tuesday night. They had set out for the excursion on December 31 and were supposed to return on Wednesday.
Jitendra Rawal, a local resident, said, "One of the teachers approached us around 11 am on Wednesday while we were busy managing traffic on the highway along with the police. He told us that the children had not eaten anything since the previous night. We immediately arranged for water bottles and snacks."
No clue
Speaking to mid-day, Vinod Savase, a teacher, said, "We had no clue what to do. Parents and school authorities were constantly calling up for updates. We are extremely thankful for the way residents and policemen came to our rescue. The children were terrified when they saw people pelting stones and damaging vehicles on the road."
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