A 16-year-old boy lost his life while doing pull-ups on a football goal post at a playground maintained by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on August 28.
The victim has been identified as Mohammed Jehan, was a resident of Shivajinagar and a Class 10 student at Naasih Public (Boys) School in Lingarajapuram. The incident occurred during his sports period, the police said.
It has been alleged that the goal post fell onto Jehan as it was not properly fixed to the ground.
According to the police, the school used the playground of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), opposite St Charles’ High School, in Lingarajapuram, for sports purposes as it did not have its own facility.
During the probe, it was found that four students, including Jehan, were doing pull-ups. When teachers had warned children against doing pull-ups at the goal post, all but Jehan complied. With additional weight on it, the goal post collapsed, and one of the hooks used for the net struck Jehan on the head, the police said.
Jehan was bleeding profusely and was shifted to a private hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Syed Usman, a relative of Jehan, claimed there was a significant delay in shifting Jehan to the hospital, an allegation which was denied by the school authorities.
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“When the incident took place, the two teachers were present at the ground. They ran back to the school instead of going to the hospital. Then, they waited for an ambulance to arrive, and more than 20 minutes were lost. It was only later that they shifted Jehan to the hospital,” he said.
“The teen boy had left for school as usual at 8.15 am on August 28.
Around 11.45 am, one of the school teachers contacted Barkath Ali, Jehan’s father, over the phone and said his son sustained injuries and was brought to a private hospital. Upon arrival, Ali discovered that Jehan was already dead,” said Usman.
Headmaster yet to come to terms with tragedy
Mohammed Sadiq, headmaster of Naasih Public School, told The Indian Express that it was an unfortunate and unexpected incident, which he is yet to come to terms with.
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“Jehan was part of the cricket team and was supposed to be playing with others. But he chose to play with friends and told them he would join in the next match. This incident happened in less than two minutes,” Sadiq added.
The KG Halli police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating the matter.
School authorities clarify
Naasih Public School, in its statement, acknowledged that the goalpost pole in the ground was not properly fixed in the soil. “Some children attempted to do pull-ups on it. One of our staff members on duty had just instructed the students to move away from the pole and not to perform pull-ups a moment earlier. Unfortunately, within a few minutes, despite this warning, a few boys again approached the pole, causing it to lose its balance and fall,” the statement read.
The school authorities clarified that without waiting for the ambulance, the staff acted swiftly and transported the child to V-Care Mediscon Hospital in an autorickshaw to ensure there was no delay.
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“This was a tragic accident beyond anyone’s control. The staff on duty acted responsibly and swiftly at every stage. To suggest negligence is incorrect and deeply hurtful in a time of grief,” the statement said.