Kerala Human Rights panel orders inquiry into tribal boy's fall from tree

There are widespread complaints that children in the settlements are attending online classes by scaling trees or sitting in tree-huts

A day after a teenage tribal boy suffered serious injuries when he scaled a tree to get internet access in Kannur district of Kerala, the state Human Rights Commission on Friday registered a case and ordered an inquiry into the tragic incident. K Baijunath, the judicial member of the panel, asked the district collector to probe the incident and submit the inquiry report within 15 days, an official statement said here.

The 15-year-old P Ananthu Babu met with the tragedy at Panniyodu tribal colony near a forest area under Kannavam police station limit in Kannur. There are widespread complaints that mobile coverage is poor in the area and the children in the settlements are attending online classes by scaling trees or sitting in tree-huts, the statement added.

Meanwhile, General Education Minister V Sivankutty called the boy's father over phone and inquired about his health condition. He also called the district collector and superintendent of the Pariayam Medical College, where the boy is undergoing treatment, and asked him to ensure the best treatment to Ananthu.

A total of 137 places in Kannur district were found to be experiencing network issues and the problem was resolved in 71 centres among them, the minister said later.

The tribal boy fell down on Thursday leading to serious injuries to his backbone. He climbed the tree to get a better signal on his mobile phone for checking his plus one allotment status online, officials said.

Lack of internet connectivity has kept a large number of tribal students away from studies during the Covid-19 induced restrictions in the area, locals said.