A seven-year-old boy, Ishu, died after a dilapidated iron gate of a composite school collapsed on him while he was playing with it in Chakia Dhamour village under Baharia police station area of Prayagraj on Wednesday morning.
Ishu had accompanied his father to relieve himself near the school. While returning home, he was playing by holding onto the school gate when it suddenly fell, killing him instantly in front of his father’s eyes.
Police sent the body for postmortem before handing it over to the family. According to reports, Manoj Pal, a resident of Chakia Dhamour village, had taken his only son, Ishu, to a field near the school to relieve himself around 6:30 am on Wednesday. While returning, Manoj Pal went to wash his hands at the school hand pump, and Ishu began playing with the dilapidated gate. The iron gate then fell on Ishu, leading to his death.
With the help of nearby villagers, Ishu was pulled from the debris and rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Ishu was a Class 1 student at Saraswati Gyan Mandir. Brajesh Singh, SHO of Baharia police station, stated that a case had been registered based on the complaint filed by the deceased’s father.
Reports indicate that the school gate was damaged about a year ago after being hit by a truck but had not been repaired, despite more than 150 children attending the school daily. Headmaster Ram Adhar said that several complaints had been made to departmental officials, but no action had been taken.
{{/usCountry}}Reports indicate that the school gate was damaged about a year ago after being hit by a truck but had not been repaired, despite more than 150 children attending the school daily. Headmaster Ram Adhar said that several complaints had been made to departmental officials, but no action had been taken.
{{/usCountry}}Taking cognizance of the incident, BSA Devbrat has suspended acting headmaster Ram Adhar for negligence. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma also suspended the Panchayat secretary in the case.
Confirming this, district development officer (DDO) GP Kushwaha stated that the gram panchayat secretary was found prima facie guilty, leading to the suspension. An investigation has also been initiated against the Gram Pradhan, as the DDO further explained that the gram pradhan, being the custodian of the village panchayat and elected by the public, cannot be excused from negligence in public construction. A legal investigation is underway.