Class 9 girl dies due to iron pills’ overdose

A Class 9 student allegedly died due to an overdose of iron pills distributed at the Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, a government school in northwest Delhi’s Wazirpur industrial area on May 5. The police has launched an investigation into the schoolgirl’s death under Section 174 of the CrPC of inquest proceedings.

According to the police, on May 4, the schoolgirl was with her friends in the school when her friends allegedly challenged her to eat maximum number of iron pills, which are regularly distributed to the students by the school authorities. “After eating more than 12 iron pills, the girl started complaining of stomach pain. Thinking it to be menstrual pain, her class teacher sent her with a lady nurse back to her home,” said a senior official of the Directorate of Distance Education.

“On May 5, she started complaining of repeated pain to her mother, who took the schoolgirl to a local doctor. She was administered glucose and after she reported swelling, the schoolgirl was taken to the Hindu Rao Hospital in north Delhi later on the same day where she died,” added the official.

Post the initiation of inquest proceedings by the police, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also handles the education portfolio, has ordered sub-divisional magistrate of Saraswati Vihar to conduct an inquiry into the matter.