3-member panel to probe Class 8 student’s death in amusement park: NMMC

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the death of a Class 8 student during a picnic to an amusement park on February 25.

Ayush Dharmendra Singh, a student of a municipal school, suffered a cardiac arrest during a trip to Imagicaa Theme Park in Khalapur.

“A three-member inquiry committee has been constituted to conduct an all-inclusive probe into the incident,” municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde said. The panel was set up on Thursday.

The committee, which comprises an additional municipal commissioner and two deputy municipal commissioners, will scrutinise the procedures followed in organising the trip, examine safety measures, record statements from education department officials as well as teachers who accompanied the students. The committee is expected to submit its findings in 15 days.

According to an NMMC notice on February 26, Classes 6 to 10 students of municipal schools were taken to the amusement park in phases from February 17 to 25. A total of 6,666 students from 35 schools, accompanied by 557 teachers and staffers, were taken to the park.

The 14-year-old student was part of the group of 1,018 students accompanied by 84 staff members who reached the theme park on February 25 at about 10am.

At some point, Ayush felt uneasy and sat on the bench, before he collapsed on the ground. He was rushed to the primary health centre with the help of the facility’s staff and teachers and later taken to a private hospital. Doctors said he died before he could reach the hospital.

An autopsy later said the child had died due to a cardiac arrest.

Political parties questioned the planning and execution of the educational trip. The Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena (MNS) raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the tendering process for the visits, while a delegation of the Maharashtra Swarajya Paksha on Thursday submitted a memorandum to NMMC demanding that the officials concerned be suspended.

“Both the education officer and the deputy municipal commissioner of the education department are accountable. As per a 2017 government resolution (GR), school trips should be educational. Does an amusement park fall under this category? Moreover, why was the trip conducted in soaring temperatures instead of the usual November-December period?” asked Umesh Jungare, district president of Maharashtra Swarajya Paksha.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction said there were serious lapses in organising this trip. “It was ill-timed, lacked planning, and was conducted with utter negligence, costing a child’s life. Why were entertainment-based trips arranged instead of academic excursions? The authorities must clarify their intent,” said zonal head Siddhram Shilwant.