10-year-old's road protest over school van stops traffic in MP
In Betul, Madhya Pradesh, 10-year-old Surabhi Yadav sat on the road for nearly three hours after her school van didn't arrive, bringing traffic to a standstill.
She just wanted to get to class—her daily journey is around 18km under the Right to Education Act.
School transport halted over unpaid fees
The school had stopped its optional van service due to two years of unpaid fees.
Surabhi's mother said her daughter missed almost a year of classes and was only allowed back for 28 days in November, which left her upset.
The school claimed parents had stopped sending Surabhi and mentioned issues with the driver during pickup.
Officials step in after hours-long sit-in
After three hours, police and education officials arrived, listened to Surabhi's concerns, and promised to talk with the school. She agreed to leave after their assurance.
This episode illustrates how fee-based transport rules can clash with students' right to education—and how sometimes it takes a brave kid sitting down for people to pay attention.