On Wayanad visit, Rahul Gandhi will call on family of snakebite victim

The 10-year-old girl died last month after being bitten by a viper in her classroom.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who begins a three-day visit to his constituency Wayanad in north Kerala on Wednesday, will call on the family of Shehla Sherin, a 10-year-old girl who died last month after being bitten by a snake in her classroom, the party said.

During his visit to Wayanad, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will call on the family of Shehla Sherin, a 10-year-old girl who died last month after being bitten by a snake in her classroom. (PTI File Photo)

A fifth standard student of Sarvajana Government High School in Sulthan Bathery, Sherin was bitten by a viper after she tripped on a burrow in the classroom. There was widespread outrage after the incident and later police registered a case against school teachers and a doctor for their alleged laxity.

After the incident Gandhi had called up her parents and promised to see them during his visit. He had also sent a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging him to allot enough funds to repair some of the dilapidated school buildings.

Rahul Gandhi’s official engagements in his constituency will begin on Thursday.

“He will be reaching Kozhikkode on December 4 evening. Next three days are packed with programmes. Besides party meetings he will participate in many other functions. He will call on the parents of Sherin on December 7,” said a statement from the Wayanad district Congress Committee.

Last month, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader had filed a complaint with the police in Malappuram that the Congress MP was missing for some time. Later the police had booked the complainant Aji Thomas, state secretary of the Yuva Morcha, after Congress leaders complained that he was spreading canards aimed at insulting the former Congress president. Thomas was booked under different sections including 153 of the IPC for deliberately provoking with the intent of creating trouble.