8-yr-old girl falls from school building, dies

According to Ashok Nagar police, Logamithra (8), daughter of M Ilango, a resident of Periyar Pathai, Choolaimedu, allegedly fell from the fourth floor of the school around 11. 30 am and was been admitted to SRM Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) at Vadapalani in serious condition. She passed away as a result of the head injuries. When contacted, Ilango (41), the girl’s father told DT Next that he got a call from the school around 2 pm informing him about his daughter’s fall from the fourth floor of the school building. The school authorities refused to give any further explanation to the victim’s father, except informing him that the girl had fallen from the fourth floor when she had gone to the toilet on that floor. “They had by then shifted the child to the hospital in Vadapalani. In the meanwhile, the school authorities declared a holiday for the day and sent the students home,”  Ilango said. Ilango said the girl’s classoom was on the third floor of the building and wondered how a  girl of her age could go unattended to the fourth floor and fall from there. 

Varaaki, a social activist, who is set to file a case against the school for not following safety procedures, told DT Next that the child was taken to the management’s own hospital to cover up the incident. “The school did not inform the police about the accident. It was I who had passed on the information to Ashok Nagar police,” he added. 

Ilango said Ashok Nagar inspector received his complaint and assured him of action. However, Ashok Nagar inspector Muniasamy was not available for comment when contacted by this newspaper. When T Nagar Deputy Commissioner, P Saravanan was contacted he said the police have registered an ‘accident fall’ FIR and investigations are on. “It is a safety failure and we need to see who gave permission to the child to go to the fourth floor. Action will be taken on the basis of investigation,” he said. 

Logamithra hails from a lower middle class family and her father Ilango is a trader in Vadaplani. Ilango and his wife Silambarasi (31) have a one-and-a-half-year-old son.