Class VII student dies as govt school wall collapses in Tiruvallur district

CHENNAI: A Class VII student, having his mid-day meal on school campus, was crushed to death when a parapet wall of the govt school in Tiruvallur district, near Chennai, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said Mohith, the elder son of Sarathkumar of Kondapuram village, had written his half-yearly examination and was having lunch sitting on the parapet wall, along with three of his friends, at 1.30pm when the incident occurred.


While the other three students jumped and escaped, the debris fell on Mohith, trapping him. He died on the spot due to severe injuries. Teachers rushed to the spot and rescued the student from the rubble, after which his parents were informed.

The Govt High School in Kondapuram has more than 150 students.

The retaining wall was constructed during 2014-2015. Police are probing if there was any lapse in the quality or maintenance of the wall by the contractor.

Following the incident, R K Pet tahsildar Saraswathi and Tiruttani DSP (in-charge) Kandan visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. The R K Pet police have registered a case and are investigating.

Meanwhile, around 100 people, including the student’s relatives and villagers, gathered at the spot alleging negligence and demanding action. The protest lasted nearly five hours, with people refusing to allow police to remove the boy’s body. They claimed that though the walls had developed cracks, the authorities failed to renovate them.

After prolonged talks, Tiruttani revenue divisional officer Kanimozhi assured the protesters that appropriate action would be taken against the teachers concerned. Following this assurance, police sent the body to Tiruttani Govt Hospital for post-mortem.