The incident happened at around 8 am on Tuesday when it rammed into an autorickshaw carrying three children of a family to Mirami School. While the three children – Payal (9), Rahul (5) and Khushi (7) – sustained minor injuries the autorickshaw driver had deeper wounds.

The passers-by and the autorickshaw driver were enraged after the bus driver fled the spot. They later torched the bus.

Bharat B Barot, the father of the three children, who rushed to the hospital, said: “I have no idea of what happened at the Subhash Bridge. I received a call after the 108 ambulance took my children to the Bharti Vallabh Hospital in Shahibaug. All the three children had sustained head injuries; one has an eye injury as well. However, all the three are out of danger.”

The family, however, has not lodged any police complaint. V J Lakhotia, the doctor treating the children, said: "We will have to keep Khushi under observation as she has developed a black eye that may lead to further complications. In her case, we suspect a head injury. The driver required stitches but he left the hospital without treatment.”

Uday Sanghani, the public relations officer of the Ashram, said: "Our bus was on its way to the railway station when another bus ahead of it applied the brakes suddenly. To avoid a collision, our driver turned the bus to the right and in the process hit an autorickshaw."

He said the driver of the bus left the spot following which some autorickshaw drivers torched the bus.