Class-II student forced to stand in sunlight at school programme; dies after 10 days of treatment

In a tragic and shocking incident, an 8-year-old Class-II student of Khudhiram Basu English Medium School in Agartala, who suffered severe sunstroke after allegedly being forced to stand under direct sunlight for hours during a school programme on November 9, passed away on Tuesday after battling for life for ten days in the ICU of GB Hospital.

Sources said the deceased, Dipanwita Paul, along with hundreds of other students, was made to stand in the open without any tent or shade during the school event on November 9. Teachers and school authorities allegedly compelled all children to remain under the scorching sun for an extended period.

After returning home from school that day, Dipanwita complained of a severe headache. Her parents initially took her to a private doctor, but her condition worsened the next day. On November 10, she developed serious complications, prompting her parents to admit her to GB Hospital.

Doctors diagnosed her with acute sunstroke and shifted her to the Neurology ICU, where her condition deteriorated further, eventually leading to coma. Despite continuous efforts by specialists, Dipanwita succumbed on Tuesday afternoon.

The grieving family and local residents have accused the school authorities of gross negligence, alleging that teachers ignored the child’s complaints of headache during the programme and continued to force her to stand in the sun. The family believes the tragedy could have been avoided had timely care been provided.

“Due to this negligence, another mother’s lap has become empty,” the child’s parents said in anguish.

Meanwhile, the local administration has ordered an investigation into the incident and instructed officials to strengthen school safety protocols and monitoring systems to protect students during outdoor programmes.