School death: HC issues notice to SDMC, Ryan International

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi Police, Ryan International School and others on a petition of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Colonel Devinder Sehrawat on the death of two children due to negligence.

Earlier, Sehrawat wrote to Education Minister Manish Sisodia and urged him to cancel the licence issued to Ryan International School and to seal a swimming pool on the premises that allegedly uses Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) drinking water supplied via an illegal connection.

Following the death of a Class I student at the school, Sehrawat sought strict action against the errant officials responsible for providing the connection.

He wrote that while the student had died after falling into an underground water tank, a five-year-old student from a municipal school in Kapashera had died on January 27 after falling into an open sewer.

He had urged the court to ensure that the family of the dead boy gets compensation of Rs. 50 lakh which should be deducted from the salary of the school principal, security deposit of the contractor performing the work and the deputy commissioner of Najafgarh municipal zone.

The PIL further prays that the Delhi High Court pass an order directing a judicial inquiry into the incident dated January 27 at the MCD school number 2, Kapashera, and into the incident dated January 30 at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj and the subsequent incidents thereto.

Six-year old Divyansh Kakrora was found dead in a septic tank of the private school located in Vasant Kunj area of South Delhi. The incident took place at around 12 noon on January 30 when the boy went missing at the school.

The child was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

The Delhi Government has ordered all schools to file a "safety report" within a month following an outrage over the death.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had earlier on Saturday evening ordered a magisterial probe in the case.

In a similar incident, a nursery student Ankit fell into a septic tank ON January 27, while he was playing with his friends. He was taken to Columbia Asia Hospital in Gurgaon where the doctors declared he was brought dead.