BENGALURU: In a shocking case of alleged negligence, a six-year-old girl lost two fingers in a freak accident at a govt primary school on the outskirts of Tumakuru, about 75km from Bengaluru, and was reportedly left without immediate medical attention as she bled in pain.The incident occurred on Feb 11 but came to light only now. The class 1 student was waiting in a queue for her midday meal on the school premises at Guluru when an iron classroom door was allegedly slammed on her hand, severing her two fingers. Despite heavy bleeding, teachers present at the school allegedly failed to rush her to a hospital.What triggered outrage was the claim that the severed fingers were swept up and thrown into the waste bin. In their complaint, her parents, daily-wage construction workers, alleged that no attempt was made either to preserve the fingers or to arrange for emergency care.As her parents were informed of the matter late, valuable time was lost when they reached the school. They rushed her to Tumakuru District Hospital, where doctors reportedly said reattachment might have been possible if the fingers were retrieved promptly.When the parents returned to the school in search of the severed fingers, they were allegedly told that the staff disposed them of as the sight of blood frightened other students. The girl’s family members also alleged that the school authorities transferred Rs 2,000 to her parents’ account, appearing to wash their hands of the matter.Following a complaint, Tumakuru Rural police registered an FIR against headmaster Nagesh, teachers Renukamma and Venkatesh, and block education officer Hanumanthappa for negligence and insensitive handling of the emergency.The family members said the impact of the injury could have been less severe if the teachers had acted without delay. “If they responded immediately, the outcome might have been different,” a relative said.A senior Tumakuru district police officer said, “Based on the complaint by the kid’s parents, we have registered the FIR. The parents have named a few teaching and non-teaching staffers. We are currently questioning them.”
