Nava Nalanda School: Two students injured in window pane collapse

Kolkata: Two Class IX students of Nava Nalanda School in South Kolkata were injured on Monday morning when a large piece of glass fell from a window on the fifth floor of the building.

The incident occurred during morning prayers at around 7 am. It sparked protests from parents who alleged negligence against school authorities. The School Education department sought for a report from the school on the incident.

Sources said the glass fell from Room no. 503. One student sustained minor injuries on the hand and was given first aid at the school. The other suffered head and neck injuries and was taken to a private hospital by school staff and parents concerned. The injured student’s mother, a healthcare professional, later transferred her son to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where he received a total of 23 stitches, 14 on his head and nine on his neck. Hospital sources confirmed that he is currently undergoing treatment.

Parents accused the administration of not carrying out maintenance. Concerns were raised about alleged unavailability of an ambulance despite the school charging for ambulance services.

The principal of the school, Arijit Mitra, was confronted by protesting parents. Mitra said: “This was an accident. We regularly maintain the school and are sorry for the incident. We will investigate the matter.” Regarding the absence of an ambulance, he explained that the driver was late and will be issued a show-cause notice.

Rasbihari MLA Debasish Kumar visited the school and stated, “This is a very unfortunate incident. The school authorities need to be more vigilant.”

The protests continued throughout the day with police from Tollygunge Police Station having to contain the agitation.

The principal assured safety nets would be installed in the area where the glass fell to prevent similar accidents in the future. He will also meet with a delegation of ten parents to discuss further measures.