A tragic accident claimed the life of a 12-year-old student at a government school in Begusarai district on Wednesday afternoon. The victim, Vivan Raj, also known as Munna, was a Class VI student at the Upgraded Govt Higher Secondary School in Arwa village under the Bachhwara police station area.
According to fellow students, the school verandah was overcrowded during the lunch break, prompting Vivan to wait before eating. To avoid the rush, he entered a nearby Class VIII classroom where bundles of iron grills had been stored. While trying to pick up his pen that had fallen near the stacked grills, he accidentally came into contact with them. The grills collapsed on him, with some sharp edges piercing his head, causing instant death.
News of the incident spread quickly, triggering outrage among locals. A large crowd gathered on the school premises, and tensions escalated rapidly. Several teachers fled the spot fearing the mob's anger. The agitated crowd held the school headmaster, Amit Kumar, and a computer teacher, Awanish Kumar, captive and allegedly assaulted them.
Police from Bachhwara station rushed to the spot, but as the situation worsened, additional forces from Teghra and Bhagwanpur police stations were deployed to bring the situation under control. Protesters blocked the Bachhwara–Samsa road by placing the boy's body on it, causing disruption to traffic.
The police had a difficult time pacifying the crowd and rescuing the trapped school staff. The headmaster and the computer teacher were eventually rescued within the school premises under police protection and were freed later in the afternoon.
A team led by the Teghra sub-divisional magistrate intervened and managed to convince the protesters to lift the road blockade after assuring adequate compensation to the victim's family. Only after this assurance was the body sent for postmortem.
Begusarai district magistrate Sri Krishna Shastri stated that strict action would be taken against those found responsible. District education officer Manoj Kumar confirmed that the school headmaster was prima facie found negligent and has been suspended. 'Departmental proceedings have been initiated for further action,' he said.
Headmaster Amit Kumar, however, stated that the iron grills had been kept in the classroom for the construction of a science laboratory. The incident has raised serious concerns over safety measures in schools.
