By P.v. Prasad

Copyright deccanchronicle

Kurnool: A five-year-old boy fatally came under the rubbles as a school’s weak building wall gave way here on Monday — raising memories of the April 30 wall collapse at the Simhachalam temple that killed seven persons.In both cases, poorly built structures with weak foundations caused the collapse. The other students survived the fall with minor injuries.Class 1 student, Raqeeb, died in the incident at Keerthi English Medium High School, a private entity on Kawadi Street. Five injured students were rushed to Kurnool GGH.According to reports, the school authority made Raqeeb and five other children stand in the compound as a punishment for arriving late. As they stood close to the wall, its collapse proved fatal.The school has a three-storey building with a shed nearby where children usually have their lunch. The shed had a wall built without a strong foundation. Rainwater further weakened the structure.Officials said the weak construction and poor foundation were the main reasons for the tragedy.Raqeeb’s mother was at the spot and tried to save him, but the boy suffered a severe head injury and died while being shifted to the hospital. A postmortem was conducted in the evening before the body was handed over to the family. Raqeeb was the younger of the two children; his elder brother studied in Class 3.District education officer Samuel Paul said MEO Rahman had inspected the site and reported that the school had violated safety standards by asking children to stand near the vulnerable wall. Ashow-cause notice has been issued to the school management.The incident sparked protests, with locals and leaders holding the school management responsible for the boy’s death. Student organisations demanded cancellation of the school’s recognition and called for strict safety inspections for all private schools.Industries minister TG Bharath expressed shock at the incident and conveyed his condolences to the grieving family. Education minister Nara Lokesh also expressed shock and said he has asked officials to provide immediate support and treatment to the injured students. He stressed that private school managements must strictly follow safety standards and said the government would extend necessary support to the family.Meanwhile, Town Circle Inspector M Parthasarathi said a case was registered based on a complaint lodged by the boy’s mother, Sk. Wahida Begum.