Scheduled Tribe panel notice to Rajasthan government over school roof collapse deaths

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on Saturday (July 26, 2025) issued notices to authorities in the Rajasthan government following the collapse of a government school roof in Jhalawar district on Friday (July 26, 2025), which claimed the lives of seven children and left dozens injured.

In a statement, the constitutional body said it had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident based on media reports, adding that several of the deceased and injured students belonged to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.

Notices have been issued to the Chief Secretary of the State, the District Collector, and the Superintendent of Police in Jhalawar district. The Commission has directed the officials to submit a detailed report along with an action taken report within three days.

“The Commission has taken this matter very seriously,” the NCST said in its public statement.

On Friday morning, seven children were killed and 28 others injured - nine of them seriously - when a portion of the roof in one of the classrooms collapsed. The incident occurred in a government school located in Piplodi village of Manohar Thana block, as students were preparing for the morning assembly. About 30 students were trapped under the debris and later pulled out by rescue teams.

Jhalawar District Collector Ajay Singh Rathore stated that the school building had not been identified as structurally weak in the recent survey carried out by the Education Department.

According to student accounts reported by The Hindu, the 40-year-old building had shown signs of deterioration, including persistent water seepage and tree branches growing into the walls. Some students had reportedly noticed plaster falling from the ceiling prior to the collapse.