13-year-old electrocuted to death at school; Kerala shocked

KOLLAM: The tragic electrocution death of a 13-year-old student due to the negligence and carelessness of school authorities, KSEB, and local panchayat officials has deeply shaken the conscience of Kerala. Mithun, a Class 8 student of Thevalakkara Boys Higher Secondary School, was electrocuted after he climbed onto the roof of a cycle shed made of tin sheets to retrieve a shoe and came into contact with a high-voltage three-phase power line.

He was the eldest son of Manu and Sujaya from Vilanthara Manubhavan. The school is an aided institution managed by a governing committee under the control of the CPI(M). The cycle shed was constructed eight years ago, adjacent to the classroom, directly beneath an overhead power line, without obtaining approval from the panchayat.

The accident occurred yesterday around 9:15 a.m. After finishing his tuition, Mithun had arrived at school and was playing in the classroom with his classmates. One of his classmates’ shoes had fallen onto the top of the asbestos-roofed shed. To retrieve it, Mithun placed a chair on top of a desk and climbed onto the shed through the gaps between the wooden planks above the half-wall. While walking toward the shoe, he accidentally stepped into the path of a low-tension three-phase electric line and was electrocuted.

Hearing the screams, a physical education teacher rushed to the spot, broke the wooden planks, and climbed onto the shed in an attempt to rescue Mithun using another board, but failed. Eventually, with the help of more teachers and a bench, they managed to pull him away. Though he suffered no visible burns, he was declared dead soon after being taken to Sasthamkotta Taluk Hospital.

Mithun’s younger brother Sujin is a Class 6 student at St. Andrew U.P. School, Pattakadavu. After the post-mortem at Parippally Medical College Hospital, the body was kept at Sasthamkotta Taluk Hospital. The final rites will be held after his mother arrives from abroad. Ministers K.N. Balagopal and V. Sivankutty paid their respects at the hospital.

Dangerously close power line

• One side of the building, which is over 65 years old, stands on the ground that is about fifteen feet lower. The roof of the shed is fixed to this wall, extending from the ground.
• The distance from the shed's roof to the overhead power line is four feet. The distance from the shed to the school wall is eight feet.
• The school's walls were only partial (half walls), and above them, there were loosely attached wooden planks—one of which had come loose, creating a significant gap.

Fitness certification lapses

• The engineering wing of the Mainapally Panchayat had been issuing fitness certificates every academic year. The AEO (Assistant Educational Officer), responsible for overseeing over 100 safety parameters, had conducted inspections that proved to be mere formalities.
• Even during the safety audit on July 2, ordered by the Education Department, officials from various departments ignored the danger posed by the low-hanging power lines near classrooms.

Compensation announced
Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty announced Rs 5 lakh compensation from KSEB to Mithun’s family. Education Minister V. Sivankutty stated that a house would be built for the family under the leadership of the Scouts and Guides.