Eight students injured in school building collapse

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 21: At least eight students were injured when the portion of a newly constructed school building collapsed at Jalalpur in Malda’s Kaliachak police station area today. Five of the victims were admitted to Malda district hospital with serious head and leg injuries. The rest were discharged after first aid. An angry mob including some students staged a protest after the incident. The agitators ransacked the classrooms and damaged school property. The locals alleged that the construction quality of the affected building that had been constructed with MPLAD funds, was poor. Police had to be summoned to bring the situation under control and the school authorities were forced to shutdown immediately to avoid further unrest. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when some students were climbing the stairs to the first floor when the staircase collapsed bringing down the students along with it. The guardians of the students have decided to lodge a complaint against the school authorities with the district inspector of schools and the district magistrate. The principal of the school, Mr Harul Sheikh, however, defended the construction work and said: “There was no defect with the construction work of the building. The landing could not bear the load of the naughty students who were jumping on it.” According to the I-C, Kaliachak police station, Mr Sagar Saha, the locals’ allegation about the poor quality of construction was “genuine.”