Flagpole accident: Girl conscious, no major injury, say doctors

MYSORE: Ranjitha, 11, the class 6 student who fell from a flagpole in school, on Friday regained consciousness and is responding to treatment. Ranjitha was knotting a rope to the flagpole when she fell on Thursday, and was rushed almost lifeless to hospital.
Ranjitha, a Soliga tribal girl, got lucky as she didn't suffer any major injuries. Her head got entangled in the rope tied to the pole, and horror-struck classmates watched her slip and hang by the rope.The accident took place in the VV Mohalla Higher Primary School for Girls in West Mysore.
Chief neurosurgeon Maqsood Ahamed of Vikram Hospital said Ranjitha was brought in an unconscious state. "She was subjected to various tests and we haven't found any major injury in the head and neck region. She is recuperating and responding to treatment,'' he said.
Deputy director of public instruction H R Basappa said the education department will bear the girl's medical expenses.
It was all over in two minutes. Ranjitha climbed the 15-foot mast with the support of her schoolmates, and the rope on her shoulder. Though she slipped twice while climbing, she succeeded in tying the rope to the wheel atop the mast, but lost her balance and got entangled. As her schoolmates raised an alarm, she was rescued by passersby and rushed to hospital.
Yet, there is no clarity on the accident as students, teachers, education officials and police give different accounts. School teacher E Komala claimed she was inside the building when Ranjitha climbed up, while police claim both teachers were at the spot, guiding the girl on how to tie the rope.
Her schoolmates claim Ranjitha volunteered to carry out the task when they were rehearsing for the I-Day programme on the other side of the campus. Pre-matric girls' hostel warden A N Sumangala too said Ranjitha, who is good at studies, enthusiastically volunteered to help with odd jobs.
VV Puram police maintained some students were present with the two teachers at the time.
Basappa said: "I've ordered an inquiry after suspending the teachers. We'll take appropriate action against the teachers for their negligence, based on the report."
In hospital, her mother Anusuya's eyes welled up as she spoke about her daughter. She blamed the teachers for the tragedy and questioned how women teachers could make a girl climb a vertical pole. "I had sent my daughter away from home with a heavy heart. Now I feel I did the wrong thing, as no one can take care of children like parents do. I'm waiting for my daughter to recover and I'll take her back home,'' she said. Her father Naga is a daily wage labourer who ekes out a living in Mysore.