A day after three 12-year-old boys sustained injuries in a minor fire in a classroom at the Sri Sadguru Sai Baba High School, Roopena Agrahara, the student strength saw a decline as some anxious parents did not send their children to the school. However, the three children who were injured attended classes on Saturday.
The three boys had on Friday picked up a detonator wire from a garbage pile near their school and plugged it into an electric socket in the classroom, which resulted in short circuit and minor fire. Block Education Officer M. Munireddy, BEO South 3, said that around 100 out of the total 250 students from classes one to seven showed up.
He has issued a show cause notice to the school seeking a detailed explanation about the sequence of events resulting in the accident on Friday. “But prima facie, there seems to be no negligence on the part of the school management,” he said.
Eight detainedMeanwhile, the South-East police have detained eight employees of IVRCL Ltd., a private firm, from which the detonator wire is suspected to have originated. IVRCL Ltd. was laying a pipeline connecting Madiwala and Agara lakes on behalf of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The company had been using gelatine sticks to blast some rocky portions on the route. However, it had not sought prior permission for the same and is suspected of procuring the explosives illegally and disposing it off negligently.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Rohini Sepat told The Hindu that the detained employees are supervisors, managers and the contractor and they are trying to establish the trail of the illegally procured explosives.
Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar visited the school and met the children. He said that there is a need for the public to be aware about safety and security and be cautious about suspicious material.
