Bengaluru parents allege negligence after 12-year-old student dies in classroom

A 12-year-old boy in Bengaluru died after collapsing in his classroom, leading his parents to file a negligence complaint against the school. Police have registered an FIR and are reviewing CCTV footage to investigate the school's emergency response.

Bengaluru: A 12-year-old student of a private school in Bengaluru died after collapsing inside his classroom, with his family alleging that negligence on the part of the school management resulted in the tragedy. The family has lodged a complaint with the Konanakunte police station, following which an FIR was registered on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Arhan Pasha, a student of a school located in Weavers Colony on Bannerghatta Road. Although the incident occurred on June 10, it came to light only recently after the family raised allegations against the school administration.

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According to the parents, Arhan had gone to school after having lunch and appeared to be in good health. “He said goodbye to his father before leaving for school. We never imagined that would be the last time we would see him alive,” a family member said.

The family alleged that Arhan had informed his class teacher that he was feeling unwell and was experiencing dizziness. However, they claimed that his complaints were ignored and that he was asked to remain quiet and return to his seat.

“Our son told his teachers that he was not feeling well. Other children later informed us that the teacher asked him to sit down instead of attending to him. We send our children to school trusting the management and staff, but they showed complete carelessness,” the grieving parents alleged.

According to the complaint, Arhan later collapsed on a classroom bench during school hours. The family has alleged that he remained inside the school premises for nearly 45 minutes before they were informed about the incident.

The parents further claimed that the school management failed to arrange an ambulance or immediately shift the boy to a hospital. Instead, after being informed, family members rushed to the school and transported Arhan to a hospital on a two-wheeler.

“The doctors told us that if he had been brought to the hospital even 10 minutes earlier, he could have been saved. The school could have at least called an ambulance. There are around 30 teachers in the school, but no one cares. I don’t want any other family to go through what we have suffered,” Arhan’s parents said.

Konanakunte police have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Police have also collected CCTV footage from the school as part of the investigation.

Responding to the allegations, the school management denied any negligence.

Ranju, a teacher at the school, said Arhan appeared normal when he arrived at school that day.

“He had taken permission to go to the washroom and later returned to the classroom and sat on the last bench. He was writing notes when he suddenly collapsed onto the lap of another student, who immediately alerted us,” she said.

“When I spoke to Arhan, he responded and addressed me as ‘Madam’ twice. We initially believed he had fainted due to the heat and massaged his hands and legs. By then, the headmistress had arrived, and arrangements were made to shift him. There was no driver available as it was lunchtime, which delayed the use of the school vehicle,” she added.

The teacher further stated that Arhan had been absent for two days before the incident and had informed her that he had attended a wedding during that period.

“If we had known he was seriously ill, we would have immediately sent him home,” she said.

Police said further investigation is underway to determine whether there was any lapse on the part of the school management in responding to the medical emergency.