Ludhiana: Accidental eye injury to 6-year-old triggers protest

LUDHIANA: A day after a 6-year-old girl was accidentally injured while playing with her classmate, relatives of the student held a protest outside Police DAV School on Thursday afternoon, claiming that the child has lost vision in her eye.
They also accused that the school authorities did not disclose about the exact cause of injury. School authorities, however, denied the allegations and claimed that they tried to reach out to mother of the child, Shanaya Sood, and made several calls to her which were not responded to.
Shanaya’s father Sharad Sood, a resident of Haibowal Kalan, said “We were informed on Wednesday that our child had suffered injury on her eye after her classmate accidentally hit with a finger. The school authorities advised her to take her to an eye specialist. In the afternoon, we visited Dayanand Medical College and Hospital and learned that she had to undergo an operation as she has lost her eyesight. Then we found out that she was hit by a pencil.”
“When we went to meet the principal in the school, she wasn’t available. The vice-principal pulled up my elder daughter and threatened us against approaching the police. Now, we demand strict action against the principal, vice-principal, and class teacher as they have lied to us, misguided us,” Sood added.
Principal of Police DAV School Anu Verma said, “At 9.40am, the girl told her class teacher that a pencil had hit her eye accidentally after her classmate’s elbow struck her. We immediately took the child to the Police Lines dispensary nearby and informed her parents. We called her mother six times repeatedly, but got no response. After examining her, the doctor at the dispensary advised her to visit an eye specialist. Later at 10.37am, her grandfather came to pick up the child.”
Dr Sumeet Chopra, professor and head of ophthalmology at DMCH, said, “The child was injured by a pencil on Wednesday afternoon. She underwent surgery in her right eye the same evening. We will do scans after a couple of days to plan the next procedure to save the child’s vision. She has received an injury in eyeball, but we are hopeful that she will regain her eyesight."
ACP Ashok Sharma said, “We have received a complaint. I have visited the hospital as she is undergoing treatment and she is recovering.”