Chunakkara (Alappuzha): Tragedy has struck another school in Kerala even as the state is yet to recover from the death of a school girl after a snakebite in the classroom.
A 12-year-old boy died after a makeshift cricket bat used by senior students to play slipped out of the batsman's hand and hit the back of his head.
The incident took place on Friday afternoon when Navaneeth, son of Vinod and Dhanya and a class 6 student of Chunakkara Government VHSC, while he was outside the playground.
During the lunch break, Navaneeth was returning after checking his new bicycle that was kept in the school shed next to a tree. Senior students were playing cricket at an open space between two buildings using makeshift bats and a paper ball.
Navaneeth had approached from behind the players and the batsman did not see the boy as the bat slipped out of his hand and hit the back of Navaneeth's head.
Knowing that it was an accident, Navaneeth told them there was no issue and moved ahead only to collapse on the ground immediately. He was frothing at the mouth then.
Though he was first taken to Chunakkara community health centre and later to the Kayamkulam Government Hospital, Navaneeth's life could not be saved.
According to initial examinations, an internal injury caused the death of the boy. There was no injury mark on the spot where the wooden piece hit him.
The police have registered a case for causing death by negligence. The cops said that the makeshift bat slipped out of the hands of the player and hit the back of Navaneeth's head.
Navaneeth's only brother Naveen is a class 1 student at Chunakkara Cherupushpa Bethany Senior Secondary School. His father Vinod runs an aluminium fabrication business. The body, which is being kept in the Kayamkulam Government Hospital, will be taken to the school by 12 after an autopsy at the Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. The body will be taken to his house later and the funeral will be held at 2pm.
