School gate crushes nine-year-old in Aya Nagar

A nine-year-old schoolgirl was crushed to death when an iron gate outside a government school in south Delhi fell on her on Wednesday.

A nine-year-old schoolgirl was crushed to death when an iron gate outside a government school in south Delhi fell on her on Wednesday.

HT Image

Police said Aparna, the daughter of an Indian Air Force employee, was killed in the incident that occurred at the Kendriya Vidyalaya School located within an Air Force Station in Aya Nagar around 1pm.

“She was waiting for a bus a few steps away from the gate when it gave way and collapsed under the weight of some children who were hanging from it,” said a senior police officer.

According to the police, the incident occurred so quickly that Aparna, whose father, Sheeshpal is currently posted in Maharashtra, didn’t know what hit her. She was rushed to an adjacent government hospital where doctors declared her dead and said they had reason to believe that she had died instantly — possibly, as soon as the heavy iron gate and an adjoining pillar slammed her head.

“Bystanders and residents complained that the gate had been dilapidated for several months and nothing was done about it. We have registered a case and are probing it from all possible angles,” the officer added.

An 18-year-old labourer was injured when a wall of a prominent school located in northwest Delhi’s Model Town crashed on him around 11am. Police said another teenaged labourer has also been injured in the accident.