Parents of Manthan International School in Tellapur, Hyderabad’s premium western corridor in Sangareddy district, are reeling from shock and raising serious questions about the school’s transport safety standards after a bus on the school campus went up in flames on Tuesday (September 8, 2026), just as it was time for students to board.
Reportedly, there were four students inside the bus when smoke started emanating, and they were soon deboarded. No students were affected.
A video clip of the incident, captured by one of the parents, showing the school bus going up in flames and being completely engulfed in fire, was posted online.
According to parents who spoke to this correspondent, videos of the incident were shot by a few parents who went to pick up their children around 2.30 p.m. Those children availing the school bus facility start boarding the buses from 2.30 p.m., and the buses start to leave at 3 p.m., route-wise. As the school staff fumbled for fire extinguishers and water, the bus was engulfed in fire.
“But the school mailed us that ‘transportation will be delayed’ at around 5 p.m. only. It was through the parent-pickup group and the video clips that we came to know,” Krishna Vamsi, a parent said, alleging that the school was negligent regarding children in its custody.
Issues flagged earlier
Parents said the school buses showed signs of repairs and abrupt failures in the past too, and children were rescued luckily each time. One parent said he complained to the school management twice in the past three months when the bus air conditioner failed and students who had just finished sports and boarded the bus to return home had to get off due to suffocation. In another instance, the vehicle sensors failed, and the bus stood locked in the middle of the road.
Social media offers more evidence. In January 2026, the windshields of a school bus of Manthan International School were broken by locals on the road to rescue children when the bus developed a failure.
“We are really worried. I pay close to ₹4 lakh for my daughter, who is in Class 3. But when such incidents happen, the school’s response is very non-serious. I would be at work assuming my child will be home safe, but when something as serious as a fire accident takes place, the school doesn’t even empathise and act,” a parent, Ramakrishna, said.
Recently, children who had taken the bus a few days before the incident on Tuesday complained of an unusual smell from the AC system, and it was also reported to the bus in-charges.
Several parents, who protested about similar incidents in the past, visited the school on Wednesday to demand answers. However, the school management did not assure anything and reportedly said the International Schools Partnership (iSP), the global community that governs the school, was expected to take a decision once the officials arrive here. The iSP is regionally located in Bengaluru and has two schools in Hyderabad. The Mandal Educational Officer has also visited the school on Wednesday and enquired about the incident.
Parents act
While there was little to no assurance from the school, the aggrieved parents came together to represent their concerns. The individual parents did their bit to gather information.
The ill-fated bus, bearing registration number TG 15 U 6985, is a SML Mahindra Hiroi with a 63-seat configuration, a parent found from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways VAHAN citizen’s portal.
The portal also records the three-month old vehicle as a non-AC variant, but in practice, the vehicle operated an AC system, possibly retrofitted later. The parents did not allege that the AC system caused the fire, but they asked the Transport Department to verify if the system was authorised and cleared for safe use.
The parents addressed a letter to the District Collector, Sangareddy; the Superintendent of Police; the Director of School Education and the District Educational Officer; the District Transport Officer, and the District Fire Officer, regarding the development and requested action.
The letter also sought an investigation into previous fire incidents and a full-fleet inspection, preservation of forensic evidence, and a safety assessment of fire detection and alarm systems, even in classrooms and other areas.
Published – September 09, 2026 04:31 pm IST
