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A Class 7 student was killed on Tuesday, December 16, after a dilapidated wall collapsed at a government high school in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district.
The incident occurred at the Government High School in Kondapuram village near RK Pet around 1.30 pm, when students were on their lunch break. The victim, identified as Mohith (12), was sitting on the wall along with three other students when it suddenly gave way.
While the other students managed to jump clear, Mohith was trapped under the debris and died on the spot due to severe injuries.
Teachers and school staff rushed to the site and attempted rescue efforts before informing the boy’s parents. No other students were injured in the incident.
Following the tragedy, Mohith’s relatives and villagers gathered at the school premises and staged a protest, refusing to allow the body to be sent for post-mortem. They demanded action against those responsible for the poor maintenance of the school’s infrastructure.
After prolonged negotiations, revenue officials assured the protesters that appropriate action would be taken. The body was later sent to the Tiruttani Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Tiruttani Deputy Superintendent of Police (in-charge) Kandan and RK Pet tahsildar Saraswathi visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. The RK Pet police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed grief over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to Mohith’s family from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.
Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami blamed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government for the incident, citing poor maintenance of government school infrastructure.
“If the government had spent funds on maintaining school infrastructure, this tragic loss of life could have been prevented,” he said in a social media post.