Six-year-old boy found dead in City school tank

There was delay in informing us: Police

A six-year-old student of Ryan International School in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj was found dead in a water tank in the campus on Saturday.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered a probe by District Magistrate (New Delhi). Devansh Meena, a Class I student, lived with his parents and three-year-old sister in south-west Delhi’s Sultanpur. He was under treatment for attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition of the brain that affects a person’s ability to pay attention.

According to the police, there was a delay in the school authorities informing them about the death. The incident occurred at around noon, but police were informed by staff of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj at 2:30 pm.

“Devansh was declared brought dead at the hospital. We were told that he was found in a pit near the school’s amphitheatre,” said DCP (south) Prem Nath. The body has been moved to AllMS for post-mortem.

Devansh’s father Rahmat works as a radiology technician at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), while his mother Mamta is a nurse in the hospital. He was admitted to the school three years ago.

Police had informed Rahmat about Devansh’s death. He now alleges that the school principal tried to hush-up the matter and threatened him. “Aap chup rahiye, isee mein aapka fayda hoga,” Rahmat told media, while quoting the principal.

Refuting allegations against the school, Principal of Ryan International School Sandhya Sabu said that Devansh was a “hyperactive” child who had a “tendency” of running away from the classroom, PTI reported.

“This child was a special child, who was hyperactive. He had the tendency of running away from the classroom. We understand what the parents are going through at this moment of loss. The allegations (on school) are absolutely wrong,” she said.

Devansh was sent to the school on Saturday for a poetry competition. He was reported missing by the teacher between noon and 1 pm. “A search was conducted during which Devansh was found in a water tank behind the school’s main building. The tank is 5 to 6 feet deep,” Nath added.

“The probe will decide the need for a case of negligence against the school authorities. The principal has been asked to join the probe,” Nath said.

Devansh’s death comes days after a 5-year-old boy died after falling inside an open septic tank in his school in south-west Delhi’s Kapashera. Ankit Kumar was also a Class I student.