The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Monday recommended that the Tamil Nadu government pay a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the father of a nine-year-old boy, who was killed in a wall collapse at his school in Dharmapuri district in 2016. The Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of a report of the incident published in The Hindu.
SHRC member V. Kannadasan recommended that the government instruct the Directorates to frame guidelines to maintain government school buildings. The SHRC suggested that authorities closely monitor the status of compound walls and other buildings in government schools throughout the State. It added that the State government should direct authorities in the School Education Department to coordinate with the headmasters/headmistresses and parent teacher associations or school management committees to avoid such incidents in the future. The SHRC also recommended conducting review meetings once a month, especially during the rainy season and when the schools reopen.
According to the report, the boy was killed when the wall at his school collapsed on him at Kudumiyampatti in Harur in Dharmapuri district.
The deceased was identified as Vishal, son of Sasikala and Veerappan. He was a Class IV student in the Kudumiyampatti Government Primary School.
Taking cognisance of the report, the SHRC had called for a detailed report from the Director of Elementary Education. It also directed the Superintendent of Police, Dharmapuri, to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report.
In its order, the SHRC said considering the materials available on record, it was of the considered opinion that the boy died “due to the negligence on the part of the public servants” and that it was purely a violation of human rights of the victim. “If the authorities had repaired or built the compound wall as requested by the Panchayat Union School, Kudumiyampatti, this fatal incident would not have been taken place,” it said.
Published – March 10, 2025 11:42 pm IST
