Bengaluru: Boy fractures hand on school tour, child rights' panel steps in

Bengaluru: The premier Bishop Cotton Boys' School in the city has been issued summons by the Karnataka Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KCPCR) for negligence during a school outing to a popular water amusement park on February 16.

The children were on an excursion to the amusement park when a class VII student put his hand out of the school bus and was hit by a passing vehicle.
He fractured his arm and was rushed to a city hospital in an ambulance after being given some first aid at a local hospital.

Ms. Krupa Alva, chairperson of the KCPCR said that summons had been issued to the school for the negligence shown by its teachers and other staff during the excursion and its representative was expected to appear before the commission for a hearing on March 1.

But school principal John Zachariah claimed that it had received no such summons so far. “The boy is recovering and will be discharged from hospital Monday evening,” he said when contacted. Officials of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) said that it had nothing to do with the investigation.

“No one has lodged a complaint with us about the incident. Generally it is the KCPCR which investigates such incidents ,” said a senior officer. Meanwhile, Mr. Nagasimha G Rao, nodal officer, Child Helpline (1098), said it was the responsibility of the school to ensure the safety of the children studying in it. “Schools must take care of the children’s safety on excursions. They cannot escape responsibility,” he said.