Rights panel seeks statewide safety audit after school gate collapse claims 11-year-old

The victim, Yash Kumar, a Class 6 student of a neighbouring government school in Bega village, was near the Garhi Bilinda school on August 6 when its entrance arch reportedly collapsed

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has sought a comprehensive assessment of the safety of government school infrastructure across the state taking note of death of an 11-year-old boy who was killed when a brick-and-concrete arch of the main entrance gate of a government school in Sonepat district collapsed on him on August 6.

The HHRC described the matter as particularly serious, observing that “school infrastructure is not merely a matter of administrative convenience but is intrinsically connected with the protection of the life, dignity and safety of children.” (HT File)

Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, the commission raised questions about whether authorities had prior information about the allegedly dilapidated condition of Government Primary School, Garhi Bilinda, in Ganaur, and, if so, why timely corrective action was not taken.

The victim, Yash Kumar, a Class 6 student of a neighbouring government school in Bega village, was near the Garhi Bilinda school on August 6 when its entrance arch reportedly collapsed.

According to the order, the school watchman was attempting to remove grass and creepers growing over the arch when he pulled them, following which the brick structure attached to the main gate/pillar suddenly gave way. Yash was trapped under the debris and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

The HHRC described the matter as particularly serious, observing that “school infrastructure is not merely a matter of administrative convenience but is intrinsically connected with the protection of the life, dignity and safety of children.”

“A failure to identify and rectify hazardous structures within a school premises may expose children to avoidable and foreseeable risks”, reads the order.

The panel has linked the tragedy to its earlier suo motu case concerning dilapidated government school buildings in Hisar, in which it had sought information on unsafe schools across the state and the preventive measures being taken by authorities.

Despite those earlier proceedings and assurances, the commission said the latest incident raises the question of whether measures reported by authorities were actually implemented on the ground.

“The recurrence of such an incident demonstrates that mere identification of unsafe school buildings or submission of reports cannot be an end in itself,” the order states, stressing that effective and time-bound remedial action is essential.

The commission has now sought details from the school education department on the state’s mechanism for identifying, categorising and repairing unsafe school buildings. It has also asked for the current status of safety audits, particularly of old or structurally weak buildings, entrance gates, arches, boundary walls and roofs.

For the Garhi Bilinda school the commissioner directed the authorities to provide inspection reports of the preceding three years, details of complaints and representations received, repairs sanctioned or undertaken and identify officials responsible for inspection and maintenance.

The deputy commissioner, Sonepat, has also been asked to report on the inquiry, action taken, immediate safety measures, fixation of responsibility and whether compensation has been paid to Yash’s family.

The commission has specifically directed authorities to identify other government schools in Sonepat having unsafe gates, arches, boundary walls, roofs or other structures and spell out the remedial action taken.

The HHRC has also asked whether recommendations and assurances given in its earlier proceedings were actually implemented and whether any mechanism existed to verify compliance at the field level.

The commission observed that the right to education under Article 21-A cannot be viewed in isolation from the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21. The commission directed the concerned authorities to submit detailed reports before the next hearing on October 1.