New Delhi, Nov 4 A nine-year-old girl died after collapsing inside her classroom at a private school in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Phase-II on Wednesday, with her family alleging that the school administration failed to provide timely medical assistance.
The class 3 student of Lovely Heritage School had returned to her classroom after a physical training (PT) period when she suddenly collapsed while standing in front of her teacher, police said.
The incident, which took place around 9 am, was captured on the classroom’s CCTV cameras. The footage showed the girl placing her hands on her waist before falling face-down on the floor, sustaining injuries to her chin, an officer said.
According to police, the school staff initially took the girl to a private hospital in Pandav Nagar, from where they were advised to shift her to a higher medical centre. She was subsequently taken to another private hospital in Nirman Vihar, where doctors declared her brought dead.
Police received a PCR call around 9.52 am and initiated an investigation.
The crime team and forensic experts visited the school, while the CCTV footage was seized for examination.
The girl’s father alleged that his daughter was healthy and had no history of illness. He said she regularly played badminton for around half an hour at a nearby park and questioned why the school did not take her to a closer hospital, such as LBS Hospital or Max Hospital, instead of the facility in Nirman Vihar.
He also alleged that the school did not have adequate medical arrangements and claimed that timely CPR could have saved his daughter. Questioning the circumstances surrounding the incident, he asked why only one teacher was present in the classroom after the PT period and where the other support staff were.
The father, who works as a gym trainer and also drives an ambulance at Maulana Azad Medical College, said his daughter was the family’s only child and had been studying at the school since class 1.
According to the family, they received a call from the school around 10 am informing them that the girl was unwell. Her mother rushed to the school and later reached the hospital with the staff, where she learnt about her daughter’s death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Rajiv Kumar said the girl lived with her family in Trilokpuri. The exact cause of the death would be ascertained after the post-mortem examination, while preliminary findings indicated a suspected cardiac event.
Dr Raj Kumar, Senior Consultant, Non-Invasive Cardiology at PSRI Hospital, told PTI that while physical activity is generally beneficial for children’s health, strenuous exercise can, in rare cases, trigger a cardiac event in children with an underlying heart condition.
“Unlike adults, cardiac arrest in children is often associated with congenital heart defects, inherited abnormalities of the heart’s electrical system or conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick. These conditions may remain undiagnosed because children can appear completely healthy and active,” he said.
He said warning signs such as fainting during or immediately after exercise, unexplained dizziness, chest pain, unusual breathlessness and palpitations should not be ignored. A family history of sudden cardiac death at a young age should also prompt medical evaluation, he added.
Depending on the clinical assessment, an ECG and echocardiogram may be recommended for children experiencing such symptoms before they return to strenuous physical activity, the doctor said.
Emphasising the need for emergency preparedness in schools, Kumar said every institution should have staff trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) and a clear emergency response protocol.
“If a child suddenly collapses and is unresponsive or not breathing normally, CPR must be initiated immediately, and emergency medical assistance called. Early CPR and timely defibrillation can significantly improve the chances of survival,” he said.
He added that such incidents were rare and should not discourage parents from allowing children to participate in sports, stressing that the focus should remain on awareness, early identification of warning signs and emergency preparedness.
Police said statements of the girl’s parents and school authorities would be recorded as part of the investigation.
(PTI News)
