Greater Noida: Eight children injured after school roof collapses on them

More children could have been injured but, luckily, most children had gathered for an assembly in the playground at the time. “Prime facie, it seems the roof was in need of repair and it collapsed during the storm. In all, the roofs of four classrooms collapsed during the storm on Wednesday,” a senior police officer said.

After the incident, police officers and rescue teams were rushed to the spot. Among the injured students, five — identified as Priya (8), Karishma (8), Manyata (8), Nitin (10) and Priyanshu (10) — received serious head injuries. The director of the school, Bhimsen Sharma, too sustained minor injuries, police said. The injured children were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Police said the school was affiliated to the Uttar Pradesh board. “The Basic Shikha Adhikar (BSA) will be investigating the roof collapse and the provisions that the school has violated, if any. Accordingly, police will be directed to file an FIR in the matter by the Education department,” Arvind Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Jewar circle), said.

The Education department has asked the government to shut down the school until the probe is complete.

According to sources in the Education department, the school had apparently “lied” about the facilities available on its premises. “There was no mention of a temporary structure within the school or any mention of unstable structures such as tin roofs,” an official said.

On Tuesday, FIRs were lodged against Modern Public School and Jyoti Public School in Greater Noida for allegedly flouting government norms and running classes in temporary settlements.

The reporter is an intern with The Indian Express