I-day rehearsal goes awry; student battles for life

A 12-year-old girl, a student of a government school in V V Mohalla, here, is battling for life after the preparations for Independence Day celebrations went awry on Thursday.

Following the incident, DDPI H R Basappa has ordered the suspension of two teachers for dereliction of duty.

The girl, identified as Ranjitha, daughter of Naga, a resident of Soligara Colony near Jayapura, is a sixth standard student. She was staying at Pre-matric Girls Hostel near the school.

According to V V Puram police, who have registered a case, the incident occurred when the girl, along with her classmates was rehearsing for a dance sequence, for the celebrations, scheduled for Friday. The girl was supposed to climb the human pyramid, and once at the summit, was supposed to fix a rope to the wheel of the flag post, to facilitate unfurling of the flag.

However, when she was trying to fix the rope, it got stuck to the wheel. As Ranjitha had wrapped the rope around her body, she got entangled and was pulled up, with the rope tightening around her neck, asphyxiating her. The students, who were part of the pyramid, dispersed, making it worse for her.

Soon, the students raised an alarm, attracting the passersby. An alert citizen cut the rope with a sharp object, before helping in shifting the girl to a nearby private hospital. The girl is being treated at the ICU.

Meanwhile, taking a serious note of the incident, the DDPI has ordered for the suspension of in-charge headmistress Prestila Rodrigues and teacher Komala who were present at that time.