Wayanad: Class V Girl Dies Of Snake Bite In School; Students Protest, Clash With Police

Sherin’s classmates said the incident occurred at 3.10 p.m. and no action was taken by the school authorities till 3.50 p.m. She was taken to a nearby hospital only after her father came with a car, even as there were other cars in the school

Wayanad (Kerala): In a shocking incident, a 10-year-old girl of state-run SVHS School died after being bitten by a snake that came out of a hole in the floor of her classroom on Wednesday. The laxity and insolent attitude of the school authorities in getting her immediate medical treatment forced angry students to take out a protest march on Friday morning as they demanded stricter action against those responsible. Visuals showed agitated protesters clashing with police personnel who in return baton-charged them to take control of the situation. Reports say S. Sherin, a Class 5 student on Wednesday was bitten by a snake that came out of a hole in the floor of her classroom. The school is located in the Lok Sabha constituency of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi at Sulthan Bathery and after learning about the incident, he wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who has assured of strong action. "Though a teacher in the school has been suspended, that won't suffice. We demand that a case be registered and more action should be coming against teachers and medical professionals. Our dear schoolmate who died under unfortunate circumstances should get justice and we will continue our protest, till tough actions are taken," said a student leading the protest to IANS. Sherin’s classmates said the incident occurred at 3.10 p.m. and no action was taken by the school authorities till 3.50 p.m. She was taken to a nearby hospital only after her father came with a car, even as there were other cars in the school. Her classmates believe she could have been saved if she would have received timely medical care. A school teacher and a doctor have been suspended for over their callous behavior.