Heavy school bag pulled boy down to his death, say police

A day after a Class VI student was found dead at his school in Mayur Vihar phase I, preliminary police investigation suggested that the boy fell due to the weight of his heavy school bag.

Police have registered a case of death due to negligence against unknown persons at Pandav Nagar police station. The investigating officer said Varun Jain (12) was probably standing on the iron railing to reply when his cousin asked him to hurry up, as their school bus was about to leave.

"Prima facie it appears the boy was leaning on the railing and fell because of the weight of his school bag. His head hit the ground," the investigating officer said.

The school management has also denied any foul play. "All the classes were over and nobody was on the second floor when Varun fell. Two nursery teaching training students, who were attending a class in the opposite building, saw him falling but are unaware about how he fell. We have prepared a report of the incident which will be submitted to the education officer (EO) of the Delhi government," said chairman of the school's managing board who requested not to disclose his name.

'Loss of a noble soul'

For his 12th birthday — and his last — on January 18, all Varun wanted as gift was feeding the orphans living in an orphanage close to his house in Pandav Nagar in east Delhi. And his parents willingly fulfilled this wish for him no knowing it is the last time they are celebrating their son's birthday.

His elder sister Priyanka remembered fondly, "For my brother, it was the happiest birthday celebration of his life as our parents had agreed for a dinner party for the orphans."

Today a pall of gloom has descended in Pandav Nagar's S-block where Varun lived with his parents, sister and his 65-year-old grandmother. Not only has the Jain family lost their son, the neighbourhood has also lost a "benevolent member of their society".