New Delhi:
Outside a government hospital, a little boy breaks down. He wants to go inside for one last look at his older sister. Afroze was among the five girls who died in a stampede at an East Delhi school on Thursday morning.
Thirty one other students were injured, six of them are in critical condition.
At 9 am, a narrow staircase turned into a death trap when children began pushing each other. Many tripped and fell down. What caused the panic is unclear. Some students say there was a rumour that children were being electrocuted because of the rain that flooded their school. Others say a few boys tried to molest girls on the stairs who then tried to race away, and that caused the stampede.
The children were rushed to a nearby hospital. Angry parents who've spent hours there waiting for updates say they want basic questions answered. Like where teachers were during the stampede. And why some children were allowed to walk home alone after the riot.
Others complain that doctors won't allow them into hospital, but VIPs like the chief minister sailed past them.
The chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, has ordered an inquiry into the accident.