Jhalawar (Rajasthan) [India], July 25 (ANI): Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje on Friday said the tragic roof collapse at a school in Jhalawar, which claimed the lives of seven students, could have been avoided had the building been identified as unsafe and students relocated.

'Seven school children died. Around 27 children are injured. As soon as we came to know, we were stunned. Had this building been identified and children shifted to some safe building, this would not have happened,' Raje said after visiting the injured at a hospital in Jhalawar.

'The Education Department should conduct a survey of all school buildings. Where structures are found to be in a dilapidated condition, children must be shifted to safer schools immediately,' she added.

Raje also raised concerns over the ongoing monsoon season, stressing the urgent need to demolish unsafe structures and construct new buildings. 'There is also this issue that it is the rainy season, and it is raining heavily. Dilapidated school buildings should be demolished, and new, modern buildings should be constructed. So that children's lives are not played with,' she said.

The incident occurred Friday morning when the roof of the Piplodi Primary School in Jhalawar collapsed, killing seven students and injuring several others, ADM Abhishek Charan said.

Agitated locals staged protests, demanding accountability and justice for the victims.

Dr. Ashok Sharma of SRG hospital told ANI, 'Today, around 9 am, an incident occurred, and they were brought here. They are undergoing treatment. Children were admitted, some with minor injuries and others more serious. Most have been treated and stabilised, including a few with leg injuries who have been operated on. Two children are slightly critical but currently out of danger. None of the children brought here have died.'

Education Minister Madan Dilawar expressed sorrow over the incident that claimed the lives of seven children. 'Around 20 students have been admitted to the hospital, with 11 of them being treated at the district hospital. Two children are reported to be in critical condition.'

Madan Dilawar stated that five teachers from the school have been suspended following the incident. However, he added that the matter is still under investigation, and it would be premature to draw conclusions about the teachers' role at this stage.

Dilawar added that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma had convened a high-level meeting to review school infrastructure across the state. 'Instructions have been issued to identify and repair unsafe buildings,' he said.

Responding to calls for his resignation by former Education Minister and current RPSC Chairman Govind Singh Dotasra, Dilawar said, 'I have not become a minister at his request or recommendation. I will resign when the time comes, not because he asks me to.'

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, in a video statement, described the deaths as deeply saddening. '...It is a tragic incident. I am saddened by the death of innocent children in this incident. The state government is with the family members of those who are affected by this. The administration has been directed to provide better treatment for the injured,' he said.

'A probe will be conducted, and we will ensure that no such incident happens again,' he added.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each deceased. One family member will be given a contractual job, and the school building will be reconstructed. The new classrooms will be named in memory of the children who lost their lives. (ANI)