Uppal police on Tuesday ruled out the punishment angle in the death of five-year-old upper kindergarten (UKG) student from Ramanthapur, stating that the death was in fact caused by a health issue.
The rumours linking the death as caused by a teacher who punished him for not doing the homework might be false, Uppal police said, adding that they have not yet received any complaint from the victim’s family or the school in question over the incident. Thus, no case has been registered as of Tuesday.
It was alleged that the boy collapsed after being hit with a slate on his head on Saturday. His parents were immediately informed and he was rushed to a private hospital where he died while undergoing treatment two days later on Monday.
According to the school management, the boy attended school on Saturday, after remaining absent for 10 days due to illness. However, soon his parents were informed of the boy’s high temperature and condition, and he was sent back.
Police said Nagaraj and Radha, parents of the boy, were daily-wage workers. They hailed from Wanaparthy district and had been living in a colony near the school at Vivek Nagar in Ramanthapur.
The enraged parents and relatives suspected that the boy fell ill again on Saturday, allegedly because the teacher hit him, and protested outside the school. Commotion prevailed for some time outside the school on Monday after the boy’s death. Following which, the family arranged for an ambulance and shifted the mortal remains of the five-year-old to Wanaparthy for final rites.
Police sources said preliminary findings through interactions with teachers, the principal and other students showed that the boy had been ill. A case would be registered for probe if the parents file a complaint, the police said.
