Student dies in swimming pool of Lucknow Sainik School; principal served notice

A 16-year-old cadet from Lucknow's Sainik School died in the school's swimming pool on Friday, September 9. Following this, four staff members, including the swimming coach, have been sacked and the school principal, Colonel Rajesh Raghav has been served a notice by Divisional Commissioner (DC) Roshan Jacob.

According to a preliminary probe, the student, Om Budholiya, did not know how to swim. “The school should have kept a list of names and paid attention to students who were not trained. The victim’s body was recovered from the pool after nearly 4-5 hours, which makes it clear that the teacher in charge did not count the number of students in the swimming class. It also suggests that the teacher was not alert. The lifeguard and swimming coach were also absent during the swimming class,” Jacob wrote in his notice, as noted in an IANS report.

“It’s clear that the principal was not regular in inspecting and supervising the activities related to the swimming pool, which further reflects that he was inactive and careless," the notice adds. Speaking on the matter, Jacob said, “We have asked the principal to send his written statement within seven days, asking why action should not be taken against him for the death of a student under his watch. If he fails to reply, then it would be perceived that he has nothing to add. Appropriate action will be initiated against him.”

In the meantime, Col Rajesh informed the DC's office that the school administration has blacklisted the private firm responsible for operating the swimming pool. Further, the administration has fired the firm’s staff, including swimming coach Satya Chauhan, lifeguard Himanshu Sharma and gatekeeper Amardeep. The student's aide Balram Pandey, an ad-hoc staff member, has been fired as well. The school administration has also suspended the house matron Rajeev Kumar, as per IANS.