Parents and students renewed their protest outside a private school in Kolkata's Bansdroni on Thursday, expressing anger over the death of an eight-year-old student and alleging inaction by the police.
Several students, dressed in their school uniforms, joined their parents in the demonstration, which continued from afternoon until evening. Police personnel, along with central forces, were deployed in the area to maintain order. The presence of additional security personnel further heightened tensions among protesters.
The demonstration comes days after the death of Ayush Kumar Nath, a Class III student who allegedly fell seriously ill while attending classes on May 13. According to his family, the child later suffered a fall inside the school premises and remained unconscious for nearly ten days before succumbing to his injuries on Sunday.
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Parents participating in the protest questioned why the school principal, Ayush's class teacher and a school official had not been arrested despite being questioned by Netaji Nagar Police Station earlier this week.
"We were informed by the police on Tuesday that the three individuals had been arrested. Later, we learned that they had only been questioned and released. We are being told there is no evidence, but we want action to be taken," protester Shibu Roy alleged.
Family alleges negligence by school authorities
Ayush's father, Ashish Kumar Nath, has accused the school of negligence. According to him, his son had complained of feeling unwell during class and informed his class teacher. However, he alleged that no effort was made to contact the family or arrange for the child to be sent home.
The family further claimed that Ayush was instructed to keep his head down on the desk and remained in that position through multiple class periods.
After classes ended around 11:45 am, the child allegedly fell while descending a staircase inside the school. He sustained severe injuries and was initially taken to a private hospital before being shifted to Kolkata's SSKM Hospital.
Ayush remained unconscious for nearly ten days before he died. The family has also alleged that they were informed about the incident only when relatives arrived at the school to pick up Ayush and his younger brother, whose classes ended later. According to the complaint, family members found the boy unconscious, with visible swelling on several parts of his head.
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Following the incident, a written complaint was lodged with Netaji Nagar Police Station against the school authorities.
The school administration, however, has denied allegations of negligence. Protests first began outside the school on Tuesday. Local MLA Papiya Adhikari also visited the site and criticised the school's handling of the matter. Later that day, police summoned and questioned the principal, the class teacher and a school official.
As of Thursday evening, no arrests had been made in connection with the case.
