Street number 3 of R.K. Nagar bid a tearful goodbye on Tuesday to Shiv Rachith, the toddler who drowned at his play school owing to alleged negligence of staff.
The child’s parents were in a state of inconsolable grief when the boy’s body was brought home after autopsy. “I had handed over the child to a staff helper in the morning. How did this happen?” wailed the boy’s father, Anil Kumar.
Kumar, a businessman, dropped his son at the school at 8.30 a.m. and proceeded to his workplace. At 11.30 a.m., Kumar’s wife Vishala arrived to collect her son. She was allegedly told that the boy had not reported for school.
The father rushed to the school after he was informed of his missing son. Following a heated exchange of words with the school management, the parents and staff searched the premises.
Around 12 p.m., they spotted one of the staff helpers in tears. “When they enquired, the helper said a boy had fallen into the water storage sump, the lid of which was left half open,” said a police official.
The police were yet to ascertain the sequence of events before the fall, including when the child was last seen and for how long he had been missing before being found.
A police official said security cameras on the school premises provided only real-time view and would not give footage as they were not hooked to a digital video recorder.
“It is hard to believe that Rachith is gone. He was dear to my family and he would spend time with us without missing his parents,” said K.S. Murthy, a neighbour.
When the toddler’s body was brought home after autopsy, the police refused to allow the family to sit in protest outside the school, fearing law and order problems.
A cordon of police personnel encircled the ambulance and walked alongside to ensure that it did not turn towards the school.
Tension prevailed as tempers flared when the family demanded that they be allowed to meet the school staff, who were allegedly holed up in the building.
“We demand that the authorities act against the school management swiftly and the negligent staff. This is essential to prevent the death of another child,” said an aunt of the toddler.
