A mother's only hope slides off

With the death of nine-year-old Perumal, who was crushed under a sliding gate at a kalyan mantap in Yeshwanthpur, his mother’s hopes for the future have faded.

Kamalamma, the principal of Bapu Balika School described Perumal as a bright student who was expected to improve his family’s life.

“He was a good student who came from a poor background. His mother was very concerned with his education. She often said that she would not be worried even if he failed a year but that he had to learn things well in the long run. It is very unfortunate that the boy has become a victim of the negligence of the rich who have no value for the life of the downtrodden,” she said.

Senior police officials at the Yeshwanthpur station told Deccan Herald that the sliding gate had been fixed on a rail mounted on the ground. The gate moves horizontally over wheels.

Flaw in the gate

An officer explained that the gate had been recently installed but had a flaw. “They didn’t put a stopper on the gate rails — a detail which turned out to be costly,” he said.

When Perumal went to the kalyana mantap compound, he slid open the gate. As there was no stopper, the heavy gate slid off the rails and collapsed on the boy, killing him on the spot, police said.

A case has been registered against the co-owners of the kalyan mantap, Prashanth Gowda and Uttam Chand Jain by Yeshwanthpur police, under the Section 304A (negligence leading to death) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police added that the two men are presently not in the City, but have promised to co-operate with the investigation when they return.