Coimbatore, Aug 15
A six-year-old girl studying in Class 1 was killed after being run over by a lorry on the Thudiyalur-Saravanampatti road in Coimbatore on Friday morning, police said. The child, identified as Niralya, was pronounced dead at the spot and her body was taken to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for postmortem, they added.
Police said the incident occurred at around 8 am near Cheran Colony while Niralya and her mother, named in the police report as Divya, were travelling on a two-wheeler from their home in Vellakkinar near Thudiyalur to drop the girl at a private school. A lorry coming from behind allegedly attempted to overtake and brushed the scooter, causing Divya to lose control.
“After being sidelined by the lorry, Divya lost control and slipped on the road in an attempt to avoid hitting the sign board. But the situation turned worse as the mother fell on the left, and Niralya fell onto oncoming traffic and went under the wheel of the lorry,” police said.
According to the FIR and statements recorded at the scene by the Coimbatore Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW-West), the scooter first hit the signboard of a Xerox shop, placed close to or on the carriageway. While both mother and daughter fell from the bike, Niralya landed on the road and was struck by the lorry, resulting in instantaneous death, the police said.
Arrests and charges
Following on-the-spot enquiries and evidence collection, TIW-West police arrested the lorry driver and the shop owner. The arrested persons are:
- Marimuthu (52), the lorry driver from Namakkal district
- Vijayan, the owner of the shop where the signboard was placed
The case has been registered under Sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 283 (exhibition of false light, mark or buoy) of the BNS Act, according to the police. Further investigation is on, they said.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Victim | Niralya, Class 1 pupil, aged six |
| Time | About 8 am on Friday |
| Location | Cheran Colony area, Thudiyalur–Saravanampatti road |
| Arrests | Marimuthu (lorry driver), Vijayan (shop owner) |
| Postmortem | Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) |
Local context and safety concerns
Road safety activists and residents in the area have frequently pointed to heavy vehicular movement on the Thudiyalur–Saravanampatti corridor, which links suburban neighbourhoods and industrial pockets to central Coimbatore. Makeshift signboards and encroachments close to the carriageway can reduce swerving space for two-wheelers, especially during peak morning traffic when school drop-offs and employee commutes coincide.
Police said teams from the TIW-West reached the spot soon after receiving information, recovered the body and began a formal probe. The specific sequence of events, including the exact manoeuvre of the lorry and whether negligence by the driver or the positioning of the signboard was the proximate cause, will form part of the investigation, the TIW-West officer supervising the case added.
Family members and neighbours have been informed and counselling was arranged at the hospital, police said. No immediate statement was available from the management of the private school where the child was enrolled.
The incident has prompted renewed calls from residents for stricter enforcement against roadside encroachments and for better regulation of heavy vehicles on stretches frequented by school traffic. Officials said they would examine CCTV footage from nearby establishments, question witnesses and take forensic evidence from the scene as part of routine investigative steps.
Further details and any chargesheeting will be updated after completion of the TIW-West probe and legal formalities.
