A 16 year old student's death inside a septic tank at a girls' madrasa in Rajasthan's Deeg district has triggered a sweeping inspection of residential madrasas across the entire Mewat region. The accident took place three days earlier, on Thursday night, at the madrasa in Meel village under the Gopalgarh police station area, and left more than a dozen other students injured.
Officials Forced To Wear Masks During Sunday Visit
On Sunday, Bharatpur range IG Dr. Preeti Chandra, Deeg Collector Mayank Manish and SP Kumble Sharan Gopinath arrived at the Meel madrasa for an inspection. The stench inside the hostel premises was so overpowering that the officials had to put on masks before entering. Confronted with the conditions, the IG reprimanded the madrasa's management committee, saying that if officers could barely stand there for a few minutes, one could only imagine what the girls living there go through every day. She described making minor students clean the septic tank as inhuman.
Madrasa Was Never Registered, Given Three Days To Comply
The inspection also revealed that the madrasa had never been registered as required under state government rules. District administration has since issued a notice giving the trust three days to complete the registration. If the deadline is missed, action will be taken against the madrasa's operations.
Now Over 40 Madrasas In The District Face Scrutiny
Dr. Chandra instructed the investigating officer to look beyond the Meel case alone and inspect every residential madrasa across the Mewat region, so that no compromise on children's safety and cleanliness goes unnoticed anywhere else. More than 40 madrasas currently operate in Deeg district, and all of them will now be checked one by one. Separately, the Collector had already set up a five member committee to probe the case, and it has begun its work, collecting the necessary documents from the trust before submitting its findings to the district administration.
What Happened On Thursday Night
The tragedy unfolded three days earlier, on Thursday night, when students themselves were made to clean the septic tank at the Meel madrasa. A 16 year old student died in the accident, while more than a dozen girls were injured. Police and administrative officials rushed to the spot as soon as word of the accident spread, and the Collector subsequently formed the five member committee to investigate the matter.
