Kolkata: Diptangshu Mahato, a class 12 student of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, died hours after consuming a hot tea at school. His family has lodged a complaint with Narendrapur PS, alleging gross negligence on the part of the school authorities.Diptangshu’s father, Manaranjan Mahato, a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court, alleged: “I lost my son because of the negligence of the school authorities. Why did they wait for me to arrive before taking him to a hospital? Had they admitted him immediately and informed me afterwards, his life could have been saved. Why did the doctor who was called to examine him suggest an endoscopy to do after returning home, instead of referring him to a hospital, where he could have received immediate medical attention? My son suffered severe internal burns to his digestive tract, which led to oxygen deprivation and required urgent treatment. Yet, the school authorities neither took any initiative to provide minimum treatment nor did they inform me immediately.”In his complaint, Manaranjan stated that around 11.20 am, while attending to his professional duties at the high court, he received a call from the school informing him that his son had fallen ill and asking him to come immediately. “I rushed to the school and reached around 1 pm. I found my son in an extremely critical condition. He was unable to speak properly and was coughing continuously. I was told that between 9.45 am and 10 am, he had consumed hot tea directly from a flask,” the complaint stated.He further stated in the complaint: “With great difficulty, I carried my son, along with his belongings, to my vehicle. After taking a sip of water, he slowly rested his head on my chest and then became completely unresponsive.”Mahato then rushed him to the nearest hospital, but they allegedly refused to admit the boy. He then drove to a private hospital near Salt Lake, where doctors in the emergency department declared him dead.Demanding an investigation into the incident, he told TOI: “I asked my son why he swallowed it after realising it was too hot. He said he did not want to dirty the floor. Can you imagine? Where was the housemaster who was assigned to care for the students? Why did he fail to do so?”TOI tried to get a reaction from the headmaster Swami Ishteshananda but he didn’t respond to phone calls or the text message. He though issued a formal condolence message stating, “It is with profound grief and a heavy heart that we inform all students, teachers, staff, guardians, and well-wishers of the untimely and sudden demise of our beloved student, Diptangshu Mahato who passed away today, June 30. We pray for the eternal peace of his soul and seek the blessings of the Holy Trio — Thakur, Maa, and Swamiji — to grant strength and solace to his bereaved family and to all of us who are deeply grief-stricken by this unimaginable loss.”Diptangshu’s friends protested at NRS Hospital, demanding action against the school authorities. An unnatural death case has been registered, and police are probing.(With inputs from Monotosh Chakraborty.)
