The school in Dilsuknagar, Hyderabad, where Syeda Xanaib was killed in an elevator accident
A four-year-old girl died after getting stuck in the elevator of her school in Hyderabad on Tuesday morning.
Syeda Xanaib, a nursery student of the Sri Chaitanya School in Dilkushnagar, was being taken by her teacher from the ground floor to the third floor when she fell. Her leg reportedly slipped through the grill door and her head got pulled in when the lift started moving; she was killed instantly. There were a few other children with her.
The principal, the child's teacher and an education official have been arrested.
Scores of angry parents have demanded an investigation into why a nursery school is operating from a three-storey building and whether the school had permission to build an elevator.
Soon after the horrifying accident, parents gathered outside the school and protested. Several policemen were called in to control the situation.
Police officers told NDTV that the school and the district education department appear guilty of negligence. They are investigating, among other aspects, whether the school had a lift operator at all.
"There will be serious action. We are checking if the school had permission for an elevator," said an officer.
One of the protesting parents said: "The child's father is in Dubai, working hard to earn money for her education. The school abandoned the child...It is the school's responsibility to take care of our children."
The State Child Rights Commission says the role of everyone responsible right to the district authorities should be examined. "Lifts are not allowed in nursery schools, so who gave this school permission?" questioned Achyutha Rao, a member.