As 5 teachers are suspended for deadly roof collapse at Rajasthan school, questions over who else was responsible
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As 5 teachers are suspended for deadly roof collapse at Rajasthan school, questions over who else was responsible
The roof of a government school in Rajasthan collapsed, killing seven students. Over 30 students were trapped but were eventually pulled out of the rubble. Fifteen students sustained serious injuries, of which eight are in a critical condition and were referred to the Jhalawar District Hospital. The district has been witnessing heavy rain in the last few days. The government has ordered a probe into the incident. The teachers’ association has protested the teachers’ suspension. The school building was never identified as dangerous, an official said, adding that the administration had never received complaints about the state of the school’s condition.
According to officials, the teachers were suspended for negligence after the roof of the building gave way during the school’s morning prayers at 8.30 am Friday. Over 30 students were trapped but were eventually pulled out of the rubble, officials said.
The injured students were taken to the Manoharthana Primary Health Center (CHC), where doctors declared seven dead. Fifteen students sustained serious injuries, of which eight are in a critical condition and were referred to the Jhalawar District Hospital.
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“All those who were trapped have been successfully rescued,” Dangipura police station ASI Abdul Hakim told Indian Express.
According to Sub-Divisional Magistrate B.L.Meena, the administration had never received complaints about the state of the school’s condition. “We are still investigating how this school building was never identified as dangerous and will take the appropriate action soon,” Meena said.
Rajasthan’s Education Minister Madan Dilawar, who visited the spot, said the government had ordered a probe into the incident. However, Rajasthan teachers’ association has protested the teachers’ suspension.
“It’s not just teachers’ responsibility to see that the building was dilapidated,” Narayan Singh Sisodia, spokesperson of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Evam Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh, told Indian Express “Government engineers who survey buildings should be questioned. The teachers were made scapegoats in this.”
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Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the incident, district education officers across the state have begun issuing circulars to government schools warning them against holding classes in structurally compromised buildings.
The district has been witnessing heavy rain in the last few days.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and his predecessor Ashok Gehlot voiced shock at the incident.
“The tragic incident of the collapse of a school’s roof at Piplodi in Jhalawar is extremely sad and heart-breaking. The concerned authorities have been directed to ensure proper treatment of the injured children. May God grant a place to the departed divine souls in his feet and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense sorrow,” Sharma said.
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Gehlot’s post on X said: “Several children and teachers are reported to have been injured in the collapse of a government school building in Manohar Thana, Jhalawar. I pray to God that the loss of life is minimal and that the injured recover quickly”.