KOZHIKODE: A special police team has been set up on Saturday to probe the lapses on the part of school and hospital authorities in ensuring timely treatment to 10-year-old
Shahala Sherin
, who died after she was bitten by a
snake
in her classroom on Wednesday.
The probe will be headed by M D Sunil, circle inspector of Sultan Bathery. The police had on Friday registered a case against the school authorities at Sarvajana Vocational Higher Secondary School in Sultan Bathery, including principal, headmaster, a teacher and a doctor at the
Sultan Bathery
Taluk Hospital under Section 304 (A) of IPC (causing death by negligence) and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Education minister
C Raveendranath
and agriculture minister
V S Sunil Kumar
met the student’s parents at their residence at Puthenkunnu in Sultan Bathery on Saturday. The director of general education has been asked to carry out a detailed probe into the incident, Raveendranath said, adding that a team of officials led by deputy director of education will inspect the condition of all schools in Wayanad. Action will be taken to address the shortage of classrooms and toilets in schools as well and a comprehensive funding package will be prepared for the purpose, he said.
The government has already allocated Rs 1 crore for the development of the Sarvajana school, considering the pathetic condition of the building. The education department will allocate Rs 2 crore more, the minister said.
Raveendranath said a decision would be taken at the next cabinet meeting about the compensation amount to be given to the student’s family. It will be given this month itself, he said.
MLAs C K Saseendran and I C Balakrishnan accompanied the ministers during their visit to Shahala’s house. They also inspected the school.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and the chairman of the Kerala state child rights Commission P Suresh also visited Shahala’s parents on Saturday.
The commission chairman collected statements from Shahala’s classmates and teachers and concluded that lapses on the part of the teachers and school authorities in ensuring timely treatment led to the girl’s death.
Suresh said the commission would recommend the government to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and that the amount should be claimed from the teachers and doctors if they are found guilty.
The child rights commission also directed the school authorities to withdraw the direction, if any, banning the use of footwear inside classrooms.
Meantime, protests continued at different places in Wayanad against the authorities’ negligence. A group of students staged a dharna in front of Sarvajana School.
Start a Conversation
Post comment