New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has called the collapse of a government school roof in Rajasthan's, which resulted in the death of at least seven students and injuries to many others, extremely tragic and concerning. He also demanded a fair investigation and the strictest punishment for the guilty.

'The collapse of a government school roof in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, resulting in the death of several innocent children and injuries to many others, is extremely tragic and concerning,' the Congress leader said in a post on X.

'According to media reports, the government ignored complaints about dilapidated schools, which led to the loss of these innocent lives. Most of these children were from the Bahujan community--do their lives hold no value for the BJP government? A fair investigation of this incident must be conducted, and the guilty should be given the strictest punishment,' he added.

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.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called the incident 'an extremely painful and shameful incident.'

'The collapse of a government school roof in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, resulting in the loss of several innocent children's lives, is an extremely painful and shameful incident. A government that cannot even repair the roofs of schools--our children's future--despite complaints, boasts of grand dreams of a 'developed India',' Kharge said in a post on X.

'According to a news report from the other day, an MCD school in Delhi was so flooded that teachers had to personally escort nursery children to a safe place. Today, news has come that a school building in Jodhpur has become so dilapidated that children are forced to study under a neem tree,' he added.

He alleged that the BJP has sunk the country's fortunes.

'The BJP, which brags about grand development, has sunk the country's fortunes. Collapsing bridges, train accidents, cracks in newly built roads, and the breaking of statues of great personalities after their inauguration--these have all become commonplace.

'The BJP's focus is centred on only one thing--hunger for power! Our deepest condolences to the families of the innocent children of Jhalawar,' the Congress president said. (ANI)