A day after a class 4 student from a hostel in Hangal died in a Bengaluru hospital after prolonged treatment, the boy’s parents have demanded a detailed probe, compensation, and sought action against the hostel warden, who they alleged had beaten up their son.
However, in a press release issued on Wednesday, Seva Bharati, Hubballi, which runs the Dayashankar Chatralaya in Hangal, has clarified that there was no truth in the allegations. Instead it has alleged that the boy’s father had tried to blackmail the organisation.
On Wednesday, addressing presspersons along with the Mrutyunjaya Hiremath and Sujata Hiremath (parents of the deceased, Vijay Hiremath), president of the youth wing of the Akhil Karnataka Jangama Kshemabhivruddhi Mahasabha Bangaresh Hiremath alleged that efforts were being made to cover up the incident and deny justice to the boy’s family.
Mr. Mrutyunjay alleged that as he did not have enough resources, he had sent his son to the Hangal hostel. However the warden had beaten him up for silly reasons, he alleged and added that he was not allowed to meet the boy initially and they (hostel authorities) said they would get the boy treated.
“It was only after he did not recover, we had to get him admitted at Hangal hospital on October 3. Then we brought him to KIMS Hospital at Hubballi on October 9. Based on the advice of the doctors he was shifted to Vani Vilas Hospital in Bengaluru. However he did not survive,” he explained.
Mr. Bangaresh Hiremath said that he had spoken to the doctor who regularly screened the students at the hostel and the doctor was also kept in the dark about the ill treatment. He said that since the hostel was run by Seva Bharati, some influential persons were trying to cover up the issue. He demanded that a murder case be filed against the warden and proper compensation to the boy’s family.
In its clarification, the secretary of Seva Bharati, Goverdhan Rao, has rubbished the allegations of ill treatment of the boy. He has said that the boy’s health was not good from the start and according to doctors he was suffering from problems related to pancreas. Mr. Rao has also alleged that after the organisation did not yield to the blackmail tactics of the boy’s father, he had filed a complaint against them and there were no complaints against the warden regarding ill treatment of students.
