A 13-year-old student died on Thursday afternoon after he collapsed while attending a Physical Training class at his school in Old Washermenpet. Police are investigating to find out if the boy had been beaten up by his classmates or if he had a history of illness.
Royapuram police identified the boy as Ganesh Kumar, a class VII student of K C Sankaralinga Nadar Higher Secondary School. The incident took place around 12.30 p.m. when Kumar and his classmates were playing on the school ground during PT hour.
“School authorities claimed the boy fell unconscious while playing and was taken to a private hospital nearby by some students and a faculty member. He was later rushed to Government Stanley Hospital, where doctors said the boy had died 30 minutes before being brought there,” said an investigating officer.
Police said the victim was only taken to Stanley minutes after the boy’s elder brother Karthik, a student of class IX of the same school, came running to the private hospital after hearing about his brother’s condition from schoolmates. Karthik telephoned their father Babu, a tailor and resident of Perumal Koil Street in Washermenpet, who came in and rushed his younger son to Stanley.
Babu and his wife Devi, who is also a tailor, claimed that their son was in good health and had no history of any serious ailment.
Royapuram police have registered a case of unnatural death.
A post-mortem examination on Ganesh’s body will be conducted on Friday to ascertain the cause of death, police added.
