A 13-year-old student was electrocuted at a school in Kerala’s Kollam on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Midhun, a Class VIII student at Thevalakkara Boys’ High School in Kollam.
The incident occurred around 8.30 am on Thursday when Midhun was playing with his friends. Midhun tried to retrieve his footwear, which got stuck on the roof of the bicycle shed in the school premises. After climbing on the rooftop, Midhun accidentally touched the electric line, which was hanging close to the roof. A CCTV visual showed the boy falling immediately after coming into contact with the line. Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, his life could not be saved.
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Midhun’s classmates, who saw the whole tragedy, recounted how he was foaming at the mouth after the incident.
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The Sasthamcotta Police Station has registered a case of unnatural death. Local residents said the electric line wire was dangerously touching the top of the school building, and that the issue had been brought to the attention of the school authorities beforehand. However, the school authorities and the Electricity Board didn’t take any action to replace the sagging live wire.
The incident has triggered strong protests, with BJP and RSP workers staging protest marches demanding action against the school authorities.
Expressing pain over the incident, General Education Minister V Sivankutty urged the Director of Public Instructions to file an immediate report. Power Minister K Krishnankutty asked the Kollam electrical circle chief engineer and chief electrical inspector to file a detailed report on the incident.
Midhun’s father, Manu, is a daily wage labourer, while his mother works abroad. He has a younger brother who studies in Class 6.
Expressing grief over Midhun’s demise, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he shares the sorrow of Midhun’s relatives, classmates, and teachers, who are deeply affected by his tragic death.
He said the government will conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident and added that all necessary precautions will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
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