A six-year-old boy died after an iron gate fell on him at the Hayathnagar Zilla Parishad school on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The incident has sparked protests from the boy's family and local community, who gathered at the school on Tuesday, November 5, demanding justice.
Ajay, a first-grader at the school, was playing near the gate around 4 p.m. on Monday, when it suddenly collapsed on him, according to Hayatnagar Circle Inspector P. Nagaraju. The gate, which had weak welding joints, gave way when several children climbed on it and swung it back and forth.
Ajay sustained severe head injuries and was initially taken to a private hospital. His condition later deteriorated, prompting doctors to transfer him to a government hospital in Vanasthalipuram, where he was pronounced dead.
Protesters, including the boy's parents, relatives, Hayathnagar corporator Jeevan Reddy, and members of the Students Federation of India (SFI), demanded accountability from the school administration. They held a sit-in demonstration in front of the school, demanding the principal take responsibility and provide Rs 20 lakh compensation to the deceased's family.
Rangareddy District Education Officer (DEO) Sushinder Rao arrived at the school to address the protestors and is currently engaged in discussions with them.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.
In a separate incident, a ninth-grader died while playing baseball at the Mahatma Jyotibha Phule Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Residential School for Boys in Nirmal town, Telangana.
According to school authorities, Fayaz Hussain complained of feeling unwell after playing baseball on Monday morning. Subsequently, he was transferred to another private hospital. As his condition worsened, he was rushed to a government hospital in Vanasthalipuram, where doctors declared him dead. Police have registered a case and are investigating the cause of death.