Patna: A seven-year-old girl died and three children were injured after a concrete staircase collapsed at govt Jatadhar Mishra Primary School in Amni panchayat under Mansi police station area in Khagaria district on Wednesday.The deceased, a Class I student, was identified as Ritika Kumari, daughter of local resident Manoj Yadav.According to preliminary information, the accident occurred shortly after the morning prayer when a large number of students were moving towards their respective classrooms. The concrete staircase suddenly gave way and collapsed, bringing down a large amount of debris. Several children were caught beneath the rubble.Ritika was trapped under the debris and she died at the spot. Four other children sustained injuries in the incident. The injured were identified as Shivam Kumar (8), son of Lalo Pandit; Prem Kumar (10), son of Shatrughan Yadav; and Karan Kumar (6), son of Chhabila Yadav. Shivam, who suffered serious injuries, was rushed to Sadar Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment. Two of the injured children were treated at a nearby health sub-centre.As news of the accident spread, a large number of villagers and family members rushed to the school. The situation became tense as residents demanded accountability for the collapse and sought immediate action against those responsible.Senior administrative and police officials also reached the spot to assess the situation. Sadar SDO Dhananjay Kumar; Sadar SDPO Ramesh Kumar; Mansi BDO Rajiv Kumar; circle officer Leelawati Kumari; Mansi SHO Deepak Kumar and Muffasil SHO Amarjeet Pratap Singh reached the school. Education minister Mithilesh Tiwari ordered a probe into the incident.Villagers staged a protest and demanded that district magistrate should visit the school. They also sought action against the former headmaster who was allegedly associated with the construction of the school building.Officials attempted to pacify the agitated residents and assured them that the circumstances leading to the collapse would be investigated. Following discussions with the villagers, the administration, as a precautionary measure, ordered that the school would be closed for two days.Sadar SDO Dhananjay Kumar said a team had been constituted to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident.“A team has been constituted to investigate the incident. The education department has been directed to complete the inquiry within the next two days and submit its report,” SDO said.“Legal action will be taken against those found responsible on the basis of the inquiry report,” Kumar said.
