Ludhiana: 6-year-old loses vision after classmate pokes pencil in her eyes
Ludhiana, October 21:A day after a 6-year-old girl lost vision in the right eye after being poked by a classmate with a pencil, her parents staged a protest outside Police DAV School, Civil Lines, on Thursday.
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Accusing the school management of negligence, the girls’ parents said that instead of rushing her to a hospital, teachers sent their daughter home and misled them about the injury, which resulted in delay in treatment.
The girl, Shanaya Sood , a Class 1 student, has undergone surgery at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). The girl’s father, Sharad Sood of Haibowal, said the doctors in their report suggested that the injury was caused by a sharp object like a pencil or pencil, while the school management had claimed that a student’s hand had touched the girl’s eye.
Sood alleged that his daughter suffered the injury at around 10 am, but the school informed them two and a half hours later. “The school staff asked me to take my daughter home as a student’s hand had touched her eye. After we came home, she went to sleep. After some time, she complained of unbearable pain in the eye, following which I rushed her to DMCH. Doctors said the injury was caused by a sharp object and she has lost sight in her right eye. They told us that if we had brought her to the hospital two hours ago, her eye could have been saved,” said Sood.
“The school did not provide first aid to my daughter. They also lied to me about her injury. If the school staff had told us the truth, my daughter’s eye could have been saved,” he added.
The family staged the protest along with members of the Shri Hindu Takht, a Hindu Organisation, and sought action against the staff. Later, police pacified the protestors and promised of appropriate action.
Varun Mehta, head of Shri Hindu Takht, said they tried to meet the principal, but she refused to see them. He alleged that the school staff also told the girls’ parents that no action will be taken as the police commissioner is the chairman of the management committee.
Inspector Neeraj Chaudhary, station house officer at Division Number 8 police station, while confirming that a pencil or pen had hit the girl’s eye, but the school is not at fault as they had informed them about the injury in time. The SHO added that no action has been taken against the school yet.
Anu Verma, principal of the school, refuted the allegations levelled by the parents. She said the girl got hurt at 9.30 am and they immediately provided her first aid and informed her parents.
The principal added that the girl’s grandfather had picked her up at 10.35 am. She added that she had asked the girl’s father to meet her on Thursday, but he refused.
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-PTC News
