The death of a Class 3 student due to injuries he suffered in a fall at a school in Kolkata has triggered protests and allegations of negligence. On Tuesday, several parents staged a protest outside Maharishi Vidya Mandir in south Kolkata’s Bansdroni. The eight-year-old boy, Ayush Kumar Nath, died at SSKM Hospital after he was in a coma for 11 days.
Ayush’s father, Ashish Kumar Nath, said his son felt unwell in school on May 13. When he told his teacher that he was feeling sick, he was asked to sit on the back bench. The father alleged that there was no fan where Ashish was asked to sit, and the child felt more unwell due to the sweltering heat.
“My son was feeling sick in the first period at school. He told the class teacher that he was ill and wanted to go home. But the teacher did not let him. He asked Ashish to sit with his head down. My son felt more unwell,” he told the media.
Ayush, his father said, sat like that till the school was dismissed around noon. On his way out, Ayush fell down the stairs and suffered a head injury. He died 11 days later.
Ashish Kumar Nath said Ayush’s younger brother studies in the same school. “Their classes are dismissed 10 minutes apart. I was waiting for Ayush when I was told he was unwell. I rushed in to find him lying down. He had hit his head due to the fall, and the area was swollen. He was taken to a private hospital on the EM bypass. From there, I took him to SSKM hospital. The boy died on Sunday morning.”
Maharishi Vidya Mandir is a CISCE-affiliated school and is located near the Bansdroni fire station. Ashish has alleged that Ayush died due to the negligence of the school authorities. He has filed a complaint with the police.
On Tuesday, several parents staged a demonstration outside the school, and police had to be called in.
“My child is saying Ayush was feeling unwell, but no one at school paid heed. The school should be held accountable for this,” a protesting parent said.
School authorities have denied the allegations. A member of its management committee said, “The allegations of the student’s father are baseless. He was not punished. He could have fallen ill in the heat. He was given first aid after he fell.”
Police have questioned the school’s principal, Ayush’s class teacher, and a member of the school management.