Jaipur: A 17-year-old student has allegedly died after eating a patty from his school canteen in Jaipur, with his family claiming school officials failed to take him to hospital after he collapsed.
The victim, Prince Soni, a Class 12 student, was caught on school CCTV suddenly collapsing on the premises on Wednesday. Footage showed him walking when he suddenly stopped, looked at one of the teachers, and collapsed. School officials then carried him to a classroom, where the CCTV showed a teacher administering CPR while he lay on a sofa.
The family alleged that the school administration did not take him to the hospital and kept him on the premises for around 45 minutes. They said they arrived at the school themselves and took him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Father Recounts Timeline of Events
Prince’s father, Amit Soni, claimed his son had eaten a stale aloo patty from the school canteen. He said he received a phone call from the school around 11 am, with a teacher informing him that Prince was not feeling well and asking him to come to the school.
“I was around 35 minutes away from the school. I called my friends and relatives and asked them to go there. The teacher said that Prince was not well, so I thought it might be a fever or a stomach ache. Five minutes later, I received two more calls. On the third call, when I said that my friend was on his way, the teacher asked what vehicle he was coming in. I told her that he was coming on a two-wheeler. The teacher then informed me that Prince was unconscious and asked me to bring a four-wheeler,” he said.
“I rushed to the school. We took him to the hospital, but it was too late,” he added.
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He said the teachers should have “understood the seriousness” of the situation and taken him to the hospital sooner. “Why did they keep calling us? Even if I had been at home, it would have taken me 10 minutes to reach the school. Doesn’t the school have any responsibility?” he said.
Prince’s mother, Nirmala, said that when she reached the school, Prince was not talking, and his hands and face were cold and blue. “I shouted at the teachers, asking them why they had not taken him to the hospital,” she said.
Protests, Police Case Registered
On Thursday, family members and other residents gathered at the school to protest against the administration, alleging irresponsible behaviour. The parents have demanded action against those responsible from the Education Department and the police. A case has been registered, and the teachers and the school owner have been questioned by the police.