3-year-old UP schoolgirl dies after falling into mid-day meal cauldron

Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service
Lucknow, February 4

In a shocking incident, a three-year-old girl died as she suffered 80 per cent burns after falling into a cauldron in which mid-day meal was being cooked at a government primary school at Rampur Atari village in Lalganj tehsil of Mirzapur.

According to Mirzapur district magistrate Sushil Kumar Patel, headmaster Santosh Kumar Yadav had been suspended with immediate effect. The Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) has been asked to lodge an FIR.

He assured action against those responsible for the incident. He said he would get the incident investigated by the Block Education Officer.

Additional BSA Rammilan Yadav said the girl had fallen in the cauldron after tripping over construction material kept there as construction work is on in the school.

Bhagirath Kol, father of Anchal, alleged that the cook had earphones plugged on and did not hear or notice anything amiss until it was too late.

While the BSA claimed that the girl was not a student of the school the parents say she was enrolled at the Anganwadi centre attached to the primary school.

After the accident the teachers and cook rushed her to the government primary health centre where doctors refereed her to the Mirzapur divisional hospital. She died during treatment on Monday night.