A Class 7 student was mistakenly locked inside a government middle school after he fell asleep in his classroom on the last day of work before the 15-day summer vacation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district last week. This prompted authorities to order an investigation and suspend the school’s entire nine-person staff, officials said Monday.
The boy was rescued more than four hours after the school closed when a passerby heard his screams for help. A passerby freed him from the locked classroom and recorded a video of the incident, which later spread on social media.
The Chief Education Officer (CEO) of Ramban took serious note of the incident, suspended all employees of Government Intermediate School, Karwah, Banihal district, and ordered a probe by a three-member committee, news agency PTI reported.
According to an official order issued by the CEO, the incident occurred on July 4, 2026, when the student was found locked inside the school building at around 8 p.m., several hours after school ended and just before summer vacation began.
The order described the incident as an act of gross negligence and dereliction of duty by officials responsible for the safety and supervision of students. She said that this mistake could endanger the child’s life and safety.
Pending the outcome of the investigation, all employees of Government Intermediate School, Karwa, Banihal District, have been placed under suspension with immediate effect under Rule 31 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956.
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During the suspension period, the employees will remain attached to the same school until further orders, the CEO said.
A committee group of three members
The CEO also constituted a three-member investigation committee comprising the Principal of Banihal Girls Senior Secondary School (Chairperson), Banihal District Education Officer and the Principal of Pankot Secondary School.
The committee was directed to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the circumstances that led to the accident, determine responsibility for the error, and submit a detailed report accompanied by its recommendations to the Office of the CEO within three days.
Officials said the school has six teachers, including the principal, and three assistant staff.
(With inputs from PTI)
