Begusarai: A tragic accident claimed the life of a Class VI student at a govt school in Begusarai district on Wednesday afternoon after a stack of iron grills fell on him while he was waiting to have his lunch. The incident occurred at the Upgraded Govt Higher Secondary School in Arwa village under the Bachhwara police station area.The deceased was identified as 12-year-old Vivan Raj, also known as Munna, a resident of Arwa village. According to fellow students, the school verandah was overcrowded during the lunch break that led Vivan to wait for some time before eating his meal. In an attempt to avoid the rush, he entered a nearby Class VIII classroom where bundles of iron grills had been stored.Students present at the spot said the mishap occurred when Vivan accidentally came into contact with the stacked grills while trying to pick up his pen, which had fallen near them. “As he bent down to pick up his pen, the grills suddenly collapsed on him. Some of them were sharp and pierced his head, leading to his death on the spot,” a student recounted.News of the incident spread quickly, triggering outrage among locals. A large crowd gathered on the school premises, and tensions escalated rapidly. Several teachers fled the spot fearing the mob’s anger. The agitated crowd held the school headmaster, Amit Kumar, and a computer teacher, Awanish Kumar, captive and allegedly assaulted them.Police from Bachhwara station rushed to the spot, but as the situation worsened, additional forces from Teghra and Bhagwanpur police stations were deployed to bring the situation under control. Protesters blocked the Bachhwara–Samsa road by placing the boy’s body on it, causing disruption to traffic.The police had a difficult time pacifying the crowd and rescuing the trapped school staff. The headmaster and the computer teacher were eventually rescued within the school premises under police protection and were freed later in the afternoon.A team led by the Teghra sub-divisional magistrate intervened and managed to convince the protesters to lift the road blockade after assuring adequate compensation to the victim’s family. Only after this assurance was the body sent for postmortem.Begusarai district magistrate Sri Krishna Shastri stated that strict action would be taken against those found responsible. District education officer Manoj Kumar confirmed that the school headmaster was prima facie found negligent and has been suspended. “Departmental proceedings have been initiated for further action,” he said.Headmaster Amit Kumar, however, stated that the iron grills had been kept in the classroom for the construction of a science laboratory. The incident has raised serious concerns over safety measures in schools.
