A Class VI student at the Sainik School in Amaravathinagar in Tirupur district died on Friday after falling ill on the campus, while 25 other students were down with mild fever, prompting the school authorities to declare holiday till July 24.
The boy, V.P. Siddharth, who died hailed from an agrarian family near Palani in Dindigul district.
Students who fell ill were kept under observation at the Taluk Government Hospital in Udumalpet after a preliminary check-up at the Primary Health Centre in Amaravathinagar.
Deputy Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine K.R. Jayanthi said the exact nature of disease or infection could be ascertained after obtaining the results of the diagnostic tests.
When contacted, School Principal Group Captain T. N. Sridhar told The Hindu that Siddharth, along with 10 other cadets, all staying in school hostel, had developed fever on Thursday evening.
Brought dead
“The incident was reported at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Immediately, they were attended to by the medical team comprising two nurses stationed in the school round the clock. Since the fever was mild, tablets were given and students were asked to take rest,” he said.
According to him, the medical personnel checked all the students at 6 a.m. on Friday.
“Students themselves told us that they felt better. But 7.30 a.m, Siddharth vomited and in the process developed chocking.
He was rushed to Udumalpet Government Hospital where he was declared ‘brought dead’,” said Mr. Sridhar.
Parents protest
Tension prevailed in Udumalpet after parents and relatives of the deceased refused to agree to an autopsy. They demanded the arrest of the Principal and nurses in the school.
Relatives asked why the school the school authorities did not inform them about Siddarth’s illness on Thursday evening.
Mr. Sridhar said generally cases of mild fever were treated in the school itself.
On the intervention of Revenue Divisional Officer (Udumalpet) A. Shadhanaikural, the parents agreed to an autopsy.
Mr. Shadhanaikural hinted at the possibility of the Revenue Department conducting an inquiry into the incident.
