In a freak incident, a Class III student of SMT NN Mohan DAV Senior Secondary School here died when a wooden almirah fell on him in his classroom this morning.
The deceased, seven-year-old Vicky Pandit, a resident of Dera Bassi, sustained severe head injuries in the incident. The school authorities rushed him to the Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Nobody from the school knew how and when it happened, as no teacher was present in the class when the incident took place. There were only a few students present there. The school staff was reportedly busy preparing for a function to be held on the school premises some time later.
The boy’s family has alleged negligence on the part of the school authorities, contending that they were hiding facts.
Confusion prevailed on the premises of the hospital when the body was being taken to the mortuary. An onlooker said the child was still alive. The family members then took the seven-year-old to International Indus Hospital on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway, where doctors declared him brought dead.
School Principal Pritam Dass said, “We were making preparations for the function. Suddenly, we heard a loud sound and rushed to the classroom. Wasting no time, we took the child to hospital but he could not be saved. We are in a state of shock too. The incident is unfortunate.”
Gurpreet Singh, SHO, Dera Bassi, said, “We are awaiting a formal complaint from the child’s family. Action will be taken after receiving the complaint.” The SHO added that the post-mortem examination of the body would be conducted tomorrow when the victim’s relatives were expected to reach Dera Bassi from Delhi.
The mother of the seven-year-old boy was inconsolable on seeing his body. Vicky was the youngest of her three children. His elder brother studies in Class X at the same school while her sister is a student of Class VIII at another private school in Dera Bassi.
It has been stated that some children were playing hide-and-seek in the classroom before the function and Vicky was standing next to the almirah, which fell on him. — OC