Unable to digest son's death, couple ends life

Guntur: A couple - Chandrasekhar and Naveena – residents of the city ended their lives close on the heels of the death of their son under the custody of a leading techno school. They were found hanging from ceiling fans in the early hours of Sunday. Chandrasekhar, who was running a grocery shop, migrated from Prakasam district a long time ago.

Nune Vamsi Krishna, the only son of Chandrasekhar studying in class IX, fell sick and died in a hostel run by the school management on November 22.

The parents are said to have undergone a trauma with the loss of their son and reportedly resorted to the extreme step. Chandrasekhar admitted him in the school last year by paying Rs 70,000 towards fee.

When the condition of Vamsi Krishna was serious, a parent was said to have taken him to the hospital in a van engaged by the school authorities for transporting vegetables.

But he was declared ‘brought dead’ by the hospital authorities. The victim’s parents, relatives and student organisations staged a protest at the school along with the dead body which lasted till midnight.

Chandrasekhar turned down the offer for compensation and insisted that a case be registered against the principal and warden, holding them responsible for his son’s death. The DEO said the education department has no administrative control over the hostels run by the private schools.

“The school education department accords permission for only schools and the hostels run by they should have the same given by the Women and Child Welfare department”, he said, facing the angry protesters.

The couple’s suicide sparked massive protests culminating into a road blockade under the aegis of Student Federation of India, All India Students Federation and YSR Student Federation.

The protesters charged that the alleged failure of the police to book a case against the school authorities in line with the demand of the parents, was responsible for the latter’s tragic end.

V Bhagawan Das, secretary of the SFI Guntur district committee, urged the government to institute an inquiry on the basic health facilities extended by corporate schools to the students.

“There are around 1,500 students in the hostel where Vamsikrishna allegedly died due to ill-health. It lacked even first aid facility”, Bhagawan, who visited the hostel on a fact-finding mission after the student’s death, told The Hans India.

“It is quite pathetic that Vamsikrishna was taken in a van meant for carrying vegetables.

Why can’t the corporate schools, which are collecting hefty amounts of fee, have an ambulance and resident doctors to attend students in emergency,” he asked.