A six-year-old girl lost two fingers in a tragic accident at a government school in Karnataka's Tumakuru district on February 9. Following the incident, an FIR has been registered against the headmaster, a teacher, a Cluster Resource Person (CRP), and the Block Education Officer (BEO) for negligence and other offences.
According to the FIR filed at the Tumakuru Rural Police Station, the incident took place during the mid-day meal at the Government Model Higher Primary School in Guluru village.
The girl's mother, Ambhika GH, said that her daughter Chinmayidevi, a Class 1 student, was badly injured while students were lining up for their meal. A teacher reportedly called the mother around 2:30 PM, claiming the child had suffered a "minor injury" and asking her to come to the school. However, when the parents arrived, they found their daughter unconscious and bleeding heavily.
The complaint alleges that while the students were in line, someone pushed an iron door from behind. The child's right hand got caught in the door gap, severing two of her fingers.
The parents have accused school authorities, including Headmaster Nagesh and CRP Venkatesh, of gross negligence. They claim no immediate medical help was provided, and the child was kept inside the school until they arrived. The parents allege that when they asked for the severed fingers, school staff told them the digits had been thrown away to avoid "frightening" other children.
The girl was eventually taken to Tumakuru Government Hospital on her father's motorcycle for treatment.
The following day, when a local Gram Panchayat member contacted the Block Education Officer (BEO), Hanumanthappa, to question the school's conduct, he allegedly dismissed the matter and made derogatory caste-based remarks before hanging up.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case under Sections 125(a), 238, and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. An investigation is currently underway.
