Hyderabad: Girl dies after falling from school building

Hyderabad: A 14-year-old girl student, Veevika, fell from the terrace on the fourth floor of the Nagarjuna High School building at LB Nagar on Thursday and died while undergoing treatment. The incident occurred on the day after schools reopened.

Police has not been able to figure out why she fell, and is planning to take statements from her friends who were present at the spot. Police said Veevika, a Class 10 student, left for school along with her younger brother Laxmi Gaganaseshendra, a Class 9 student, and cousin Komali, her classmate, at about 7.30 am.

Classes were supposed to start at 9 am. Veevika, who was on the fourth floor of the school building, fell down onto the main road adjacent to the school.
Students who were going into the school saw Veevika falling and informed the staff. She was immediately rushed to Kamineni Hospital for treatment, where she died.

Veevika is the third of four siblings. The girl’s father, Nalla Narsing Rao, said that he was informed by the school chairman Venkateshwar Reddy that Veevika had fallen from the top floor of the building and received injuries. “My wife and I rushed to Kamineni Hospital and found that Veevika had suffered fractures to her hands and a leg, and injuries to her abdomen and kidneys. While undergoing treatment, my daughter succumbed,” said Mr Rao.

Mild tension prevailed at the hospital as the kin of the deceased alleged that the school had been negligent in not fencing the terrace. Mr Rao in his complaint to the police alleged: “We suspect that Veevika’s death could have occurred due to the negligence of the management of the school, as they did not take any precautionary measures.”

LB Nagar inspector V. Ashok Reddy said that the CCTV cameras installed on the school premises had only captured Veevika going to the second floor. The top floors of the building do not have surveillance cameras.

“It is not clear whether the girl has jumped or slipped accidentally. Two children were present on the terrace along with Veevika, who have to be questioned to find out the sequence of incidents that took place before the girl fell,” said the inspector.

Veevika had left her bag and lunch box in her classroom before going to the fourth floor.

“The parapet wall is about three-foot high and Veevika is over 5 ft tall. It is being said that the girl had some health complications, which has to be confirmed,” the inspector said.

He said that the body was handed over to the family after the autopsy at Osmania General Hospi-tal. A case under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and the investigation is underway.