The principal of a PU college in Sharadanagar near Vasanthpura in South Bengaluru and Sai Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Education Trust and others have been booked for criminal negligence after a 17-year-old II PU student sustained acid burns on her hand in the college laboratory.
Based on a complaint by the victim’s mother, the Subramanyapura police have booked the principal of Vedanta PU College under IPC sections 337 and 338 — causing grievous hurt by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others.
Though the incident happened on February 25, 2019, victim’s mother alleged that during that time, the college management had offered to bear the girl’s medical expenses but later backtracked, the single mother alleged.
The student Kavitha (name changed), was at her chemistry laboratory when she placed her elbow on a granite table where experiments were conducted. Some concentrated acid spilt on the table caused burns on Kavitha’s right hand and elbow initially. After she complained of pain, the school authorities took her to a clinic where she was administered first aid, bandaged, and sent home.
When her mother removed the bandage, she noticed the burn wound was deep. She took her daughter to a private multispeciality hospital where doctors prescribed plastic surgery but only after a considerable healing time. The mother and her relatives then confronted the school principal who initially agreed that the management will bear the medical expenses.
But when the mother, after a couple of months, went to the school with her ward’s medical bills, the management told her they could pay her only Rs 15,000 stating the burns were a result of the student’s negligence.
The mother then approached the Subramanyapura police and filed a complaint.
“The student sustained a burn injury after a drop of acid fell on her hand. We took the student to a multispeciality hospital and got her treated. Doctors there stressed that the wound will take a long time to heal. But the mother took her to another hospital for a second opinion where plastic surgery was recommended. There too, the doctors stated that the wound will take a considerable amount of time to heal,” said Malini, principal of Vedanta PU college.