According to the police, five-year-old Gopal Vikrambhai, a resident of Dudhia Mohalla, was waiting at the bus stand on Monday afternoon with his mother, when the driver of an ST bus whose brakes had failed lost control of the vehicle and ran over the child. His mother, however, escaped unhurt.

The news about the boy's death spread like wildfire, the police said, adding that soon people began gathering at the bus stand. The irate mob torched the killer bus and damaged the windowpanes of 10 buses, police sources said, claiming that timely intervention prevented the mob from damaging other government property.

The police said they resorted to firing after a baton-charge failed to have any impact. Nine rounds were fired from a303 gun, and another three from a revolver.

Bus driver Mehmood Ali Makrani, a Devgadh Baria resident, presented himself before the police soon after the incident and has since been arrested. A case has been registered against him under Sections 279, 304-A of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act 177 for negligent.

However, no arrests have been made so far in connection with the arson and damage to government property, the police said.