A five-year-old boy died of burns on Saturday after falling into a hot vessel that was being used to prepare a mid-day meal at a government-run school in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, The Indian Express reported. The boy suffered over 70% burns after he fell into the vessel while waiting in queue to receive his mid-day meal.
The child was first taken to a local hospital before being shifted to two other hospitals for treatment, The Times of India reported. A police officer said that the kitchen staff removed the boy’s shirt after removing him from the vessel, which aggravated his injuries. “A measure as simple as placing the vessels behind a school bench would have prevented the death,” said Inspector A Viswaprasad.
A police officer said they had registered a case of negligence against the school’s cook and kitchen staff. “They should not have kept the hot vessel so close to where the children stand in queue every day,” Viswaprasad said. “The boy’s parents have also lodged a complaint against the school authorities.”
The district collector of Nalgonda later announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh as well as a house for the boy’s family.
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