SPS Nellore District Deputy Education Officer Prasanna Lakshmi on Saturday initiated a preliminary inquiry on the death of Guru Mahendra (14), who passed away while playing at K.N.R. Municipal High School, on Friday evening. Once the report is ready, the District Education Officer (DEO) will share it in a day or two to the District Collector and higher authorities of the department.
Speaking to The Hindu, DEO P.V.J. Rama Rao said, “Based on the findings of the preliminary report, the District Collector will take appropriate action against the concerned person. The boy was hanging from an eight square feet sun shade of an under-construction building while playing, and it fell on him, leading to his death. We are yet to decide if it was due to the poor quality of construction or not.”
He further said, “Five departments, including Education, Panchayat Raj, Public Health, Municipal Corporation and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, are involved in the renovation works of the school infrastructure under the ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme. The report of the civil engineering staff who handle the construction of the school building can reveal the exact reason behind the death of the boy.”
According to Fifth Town Police Station Circle Inspector P. Venkata Ramana, a case has been registered under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and a primary investigation is going on in the case to ascertain the apparent reason as to whether the boy died by accident. So far, no action has been taken against the school principal for negligence.
Nellore District Collector O. Anand has already announced that the State government will provide ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh to the parents of the deceased boy. Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana will give the amount to the family. However, since the Minister was not available in the city on Saturday, the financial assistance will be provided on Monday.
Published – July 27, 2024 08:46 pm IST
