A 13-year-old boy studying in class 7 at a private school in the Mawana tehsil area of Meerut died under suspicious circumstances after he was found unconscious in the school washroom. He was rushed to a local doctor, who examined him and declared him dead. A heart attack is suspected to be the cause at this stage, though the exact reason for his death is expected to be confirmed only after the postmortem report. The sudden death of a young student inside the school campus left both his family and local residents in shock.
Who was the student, and where did he study
The student has been identified as Kunal Sharma, son of Dharmendra Sharma, a resident of Kabili Gate, Kalawada Erod in Mawana. Kunal studied in class 7 at Basant Valley Public School. According to family members, he went to school as usual on Monday and attended classes through the day like any other. After school hours, he would normally travel home in an e-rickshaw that waited outside the school gate for the children. The e-rickshaw was one of several used by the school to ferry students to and from their homes each day, and it typically left only after all the children travelling on it had boarded.
How the e-rickshaw driver found him in the washroom
When school got over, Kunal's classmates boarded the e-rickshaw, but he did not turn up. After waiting for a while, a search for him began inside the school. The e-rickshaw driver waited outside for close to 15 minutes before going into the school premises himself to look for Kunal. During the search, Kunal was found lying unconscious on the floor of the school washroom. As soon as this was discovered, the driver immediately alerted the school management and the teachers present.
Doctors declared him dead as soon as he reached hospital
Teachers and family members who arrived soon after took Kunal to a local doctor. After examining him, the doctors declared him dead. In their initial assessment, doctors said his death appeared to have been caused by a heart attack. As the news reached the family, the household was plunged into grief, and a large number of neighbours began arriving at Kunal's home to offer condolences.
Questions raised over the school's monitoring system
Following the incident, questions have been raised about the school's arrangements and monitoring. The biggest question is why the school staff did not learn in time that Kunal was lying unconscious in the washroom after classes ended. Normally, school staff remain present at the gate until every child has left for home, which makes it harder to explain how Kunal went missing for so long without being noticed. Parents in the area have also questioned whether school staff carry out any routine check of areas such as washrooms and corridors once classes end for the day, before the campus is finally locked up.
Family declines police action, awaits postmortem report
Despite the death, Kunal's family has declined to pursue police action. The exact cause of his death remains unclear for now. Police have said that further legal action will depend on the postmortem report, and until then, a heart attack is being treated as the likely cause of death. Until the postmortem findings are made public, the doctors' initial view that a heart attack was responsible remains the only explanation being discussed, though officials have stressed that it cannot be treated as confirmed till then.
