A wave of grief and outrage has swept through Piplodi village in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district after a tragic school building collapse claimed the lives of seven children and injured 21 others. The heart-wrenching scene of six children being cremated together, including two siblings on the same pyre, has intensified the community's sorrow and fueled demands for accountability.
The incident occurred on Friday when a section of the Piplodi Government School building caved in, trapping students inside. The victims, aged between 7 and 13, were attending classes when the structure failed. Among the deceased were siblings Meena, 12, and Kanha, 7, whose joint cremation became a poignant symbol of the tragedy. "I've lost everything... I had only two children and both are gone. My home is empty... I wish god had taken me instead," the inconsolable mother of the siblings lamented.
The other victims were identified as Kundan, 10; Harish, 11; Payal, 13; Kartik, 8, all from Piplodi, and Priyanka, 12, from the nearby village of Chandpura. The youngest victim was seven years old. The disaster has left families shattered, with many parents, who are daily-wage workers, grappling with the unbearable pain of losing their children. In one household, a family lost their only child, while another mourned the loss of both their children.
As news of the tragedy spread, protests erupted in the village, with residents demanding answers and action. The community's anger is further fueled by allegations that previous complaints regarding the school's deteriorating condition were ignored by authorities. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognizance of the matter and issued notices to the state government and Jhalawar Superintendent of Police, seeking a detailed report within two weeks. The commission highlighted earlier complaints about the school's condition, which locals claim were neglected.
In response to the tragedy, the Rajasthan government has announced ₹10 lakh ex gratia for each affected family, along with a contractual government job for a member of the bereaved households. Additionally, newly constructed classrooms in government schools will be named in memory of the deceased children. The state government has also suspended five teachers, including the headmaster, and initiated an investigation into the incident. Police have filed an FIR against the headmaster and four teachers, though no names were mentioned.
The cremation of the children was a deeply emotional event, with villagers gathering to mourn the tragic loss. The bodies were handed over to the families early Saturday morning, and the funerals took place near the collapsed school under a strong police presence. The sight of the siblings, Kanha and Meena, being carried on a single bier, and the fathers lighting the pyres, left onlookers in tears.
The collapse has cast a spotlight on the crumbling state of school infrastructure in rural Rajasthan. Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra has urged all MPs and MLAs to rise above politics and allocate funds from MPLAD/MLALAD for urgent repairs. "This is a time for accountability, not opposition," he said. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for improved safety measures and infrastructure maintenance in schools to prevent such devastating incidents from happening again.
