Vinod M Jain
Fresh allegations have emerged in the death of a 12-year-old residential school student,with a schoolmate claiming that the boy was slapped by a physical education teacher shortly before he collapsed during morning exercises at the school in North Bengaluru.
The deceased,Guru Kiran (12),a Class VI student of Sterling English Residential School at Kadayarappanahalli,died after he was shifted to hospital on Tuesday morning.
The Bagalur police have registered a case of unnatural death and are awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death.
Recalling the incident,one of Guru Kiran’s classmates alleged that a teacher identified as “Jeevan Sir”woke up the hostel students at around 5 am.
Guru Kiran got up and went to the washroom,where a newly appointed physical education teacher allegedly slapped him on the neck.
According to the student,Guru Kiran was then made to run two rounds of the ground before collapsing.
The classmate further alleged that students at the residential school were routinely beaten with sticks for minor reasons,including asking for a pen or pencil or seeking permission to use the washroom.
Family members,who gathered outside the mortuary, accused the school authorities of attempting to conceal the circumstances leading to the boy’s death.
They alleged that they were not allowed to see Guru Kiran immediately after his death and claimed that the school was withholding CCTV footage,stating that the surveillance system was not functioning.
According to the family,Guru Kiran was initially taken to a nearby hospital after collapsing and was later referred to another hospital.
However,he died while being shifted.They are saying it was a cardiac arrest.If he had any underlying health condition,there should have been some prior symptoms.
He was healthy.We believe the school staff are hiding something,”a family member alleged.
The family also questioned why the school could not produce CCTV footage of the incident,alleging that the explanation that all the cameras had malfunctioned was unacceptable.
“Parents entrust residential schools with the care of their children.We want a fair investigation and strict action against those responsible,”a relative said.
Tension prevailed at the police station after officers brought the physical education teacher in for questioning.
Agitated relatives of the deceased attempted to confront the teacher,prompting police to intervene and disperse the crowd to prevent any untoward incident.
Senior officer said they are questioning members of the school staff and are awaiting the post-mortem report before deciding on further legal action.
The exact cause of death will be established based on the medical opinion and the outcome of the investigation.
