Maha: Govt-aided hostel shut after death of 13-year-old boy

A 13-year-old boy staying at a government-aided hostel in Palghar district of Maharashtra died after complaining of vomitting, an official said on Wednesday.

The parents of Ananta Vayad, a Class 7 student, alleged negligence on part of the hostel authorities following which the facility, located in Vikramgadh taluka, has been closed with immediate effect, said Vivek Pandit, head of the state government's committee on tribal welfare.

The boy complained of vomittings around 1 am on Sunday.

The hostel's superintendent, Naresh Dondhe, said he was informed about the boy's condition at around 2 am.

The boy was then rushed to a rural hospital where he died while undergoing treatment in the wee hours of Sunday, Dondhe said.

Doctors at the rural hospital said they were yet to receive the postmortem report.

The boy's parents alleged negligence by the hostel management following which Pandit carried out an inspection of the facility and ordered for its closure with immediate effect.

"The government-aided hostel is in a precarious condition and its management has not paid attention towards the care and welfare of its inmates," he said.

Pandit said he has asked the hostel management to immediately shift all its 75 inmates, including 30 girls, to a nearby residential school.

He said he would ask the tribal welfare department to take necessary action against the hostel management.