The death of a seventh class student of a Ranipokhri-based school has raised questions over the manner the school is running. The death is being attributed to food poisoning by the doctors and the school authorities. However,  the statement of the student’s parents given following the visit of the chairperson of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Usha Negi in the campus gives a different picture as far as the cause of the death is concerned.

An officer of SCPCR said that during their visit to the campus, many problems plaguing the institution like the lack of sanitation have come to the fore. “We have taken due note of the things and given directions to the persons concerned for action on such matters,” he added.  

The officer further said that there was much confusion over the cause behind the death. “The death of the student has supposedly been caused by food poisoning. However, some of the parents who rushed to the school after receiving the news of the death said that the cause might be different. They said that the student who died had been involved in a brawl with other students a couple of days before he died. They further said that the management of the school was out to suppress the fact. We cannot comment on it as we have not received the post-mortem report yet. We would act only after the report is received. It might come tomorrow,” he said.  

He further said that there are over 400 students, both boys and girls, studying here while living in the hostel.