Bihar: Class 5 student dies after suffering 90% burns in school washroom

The 12-year-old girl was recovered with upper part of her body badly burnt, a bottle with half a litre of kerosene oil was allegedly found in the school bathroom: Police

Patna: A Class 5 student who was found with 90% burn injuries inside her school bathroom in Chitkohra died during treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Wednesday, police said.

According to the police, a staff member allegedly saw smoke coming out from the bathroom around 10.30am. (Representative photo)

According to the police, a staff member allegedly saw smoke coming out from the bathroom around 10.30am. “A cook was the first to see the student, who informed the school management and then the police were called. It seemed that the girl went into the school bathroom and poured kerosene and set herself on fire,” a police said.

The 12-year-old girl was recovered with the upper part of her body badly burnt and a bottle with half a litre of kerosene oil was allegedly found in the bathroom of Amla Tola Kankya Vidyalaya.

The girl had reportedly not been coming to the school for the past five days. “The incident occurred when the school was going on. It is still not known how she got the kerosene. CCTV footage is being scanned. Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts were called for further investigation,” Patna superintendent of police (Central) Diksha said.

“We are investigating the matter from all angles whether somebody from outside came or if there was any previous enmity or harassment. We are taking statements from the teachers. They do not clearly know how the incident occurred,” the SP added.

The incident sparked outrage and a large number of locals ransacked the school furniture and a scuffle broke out with the police. “The family and local people vandalised the school. The mob even slapped the police officers who tried to pacify them. They damaged tables, chairs and important papers were torn up,” the SP said.

“We reached the school as soon as we got to know. The gates were closed. I could not see my sister. She was burnt. She had no enmity with anyone,” the girl’s brother Shahnawaz said.