AIADMK slams DMK after snake, insect bite deaths at govt schools
A 17-year-old boy died after he was allegedly bitten by a snake on the premises of a government higher secondary school in Harithuvaramangalam, police said on Tuesday.
The boy, a class 11 student, was undergoing treatment after being bitten by a common krait on the school premises last week, police said. However, he died on February 8 after failing to respond to treatment, a senior police officer told PTI.
After post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to the family.
In another incident, a three-year-old girl reportedly died after suffering a venomous insect bite on February 9 at a government primary school in Namakkal district.
Citing the two incidents, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami criticised the ruling DMK government, alleging that the poor condition of state-run schools reflected a lack of basic infrastructure.
Expressing condolences to the families of the deceased, Palaniswami claimed in a social media post earlier in the day, “Under the DMK regime, it is the height of cruelty that students are losing their lives due to the miserable condition of government schools, which lack even basic infrastructure.”
He urged the state government to immediately provide appropriate compensation to the families of the students who lost their lives due to snake and insect bites.
Meanwhile, a video showing students cleaning an overhead water tank at a school in Rishivandiyam in Kallakurichi district surfaced on social media.
In the video, students clad in school uniforms are seen cleaning the tank, drawing sharp criticism from the veteran AIADMK leader.
Palaniswami attacked the school education department, alleging that it had failed to appoint dedicated personnel for such work and instead used students.
“Did students come to government schools to study or to work for you? Does this DMK government realise that compromising student safety by engaging them in such dangerous tasks is a crime?” he asked.