An 8-year-old boy has suffered injuries and lost vision in one eye after a pencil battery, which was part of a robotics kit given to him by his school, exploded in Gujarat.
Officials said the boy, Virendrakumar Thakor, studies in Class 2 at Gayatri International School in Lalsar village in Panchmahal district. As an add-on to the curriculum, the school offered a robotics education kit - priced at Rs 6,000 - recently, and Thakor's parents were among the families that bought it.
While Thakor was using the kit on Saturday, one of the AA batteries - commonly known as pencil batteries - exploded and he suffered injuries to his eye, arm and private parts. The boy's father took him to a local hospital for treatment and he was then shifted to a hospital in Ahmedabad, where the family was joined by one of the school's trustees.
Doctors said the injury caused to the right eye was severe, because of which the boy has lost vision in it. "The other injuries have been treated," said Dr Gaurang Panchal from Ayush Hospital in Lunawada
The family has sought an inquiry into who is responsible for the incident - the battery manufacturer, the kit maker or the school - and called for legal action.
(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad)
