Last Friday, Kerala Government announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh to the families of two students, who died in separate incidents recently. The decision to extend the financial assistance was taken in Thiruvananthapuram last week.
Navneeth, a 12-year-old student of the Government High School at Chunnakkara village near Alappuzha district of Kerala died after being hit accidentally on his head by a cricket bat while playing. The deceased was going back to the classroom after lunch break. Three students were playing cricket nearby. The bat slipped from the hands of a student and hit his neck. Navneeth fell on the ground.
A member of the parent-teacher association of the Chunnakara government higher secondary school said that students lost consciousness after being hit by the bat.
“We gave him first aid. He was not opening his eyes. We took him to a hospital but the doctors referred him to the taluk hospital, but he died en route,” he added.
A teacher said that after the accident the school authorities took him to the hospital, but he couldn’t survive. The Police said, “We came to know that the student died after being hit by a makeshift bat. We have started an investigation into the matter.”
On November 20, Shahala Sherin, a 10-year-old girl died after a snake bit her in the classroom in Bathery Government Sarvajana Vocational Secondary school in Kerala’s Wayanad district. She informed teachers after two injury marks appeared on her foot.
The victim was taken to a nearby private hospital and later to Bathery Taluk Hospital. There, she was referred to the Kozhikode Medical College but on the way, she died. The principal and vice-principal of the school were suspended following the death of the girl. The parents blamed school authorities for delaying while taking the girl to the hospital.
People protested against school authorities in Wayanad district blaming them for not filling the holes in the classroom. Parents of the deceased wanted strict action against school authorities.