Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 26 (ANI): Rajasthan Minister Diya Kumari on Saturday expressed her condolences over the Jhalawar school roof collapse incident, in which 7 children died.

She informed that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has given strict instructions to the officials following the incident and all the schools and government buildings are being monitored.

'In Rajasthan, all the government buildings and schools of all the departments will be continuously monitored. The Chief Minister has also given instructions so that such incidents do not recur', Diya Kumari told ANI.

Tension prevailed in Jhalawar district of the State after the roof of a government primary school collapsed, killing seven students and injuring several others. Villagers have demanded a meeting with the administration, prompting the deployment of additional police personnel due to security concerns.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jhalawar, Harsh Raj Singh Khareda, termed the incident a 'major tragedy' and said that authorities were engaged with local residents and the families of the victims.

'This was a big incident that the students had to endure. It was an unfortunate accident. The villagers demand a meeting with the administration. We have been deployed due to concerns over security. The Collector met the parents of the victim students at the incident site,' DSP Khareda told ANI.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has called the incident 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.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje said on Friday that the incident at the Jhalawar school could have been avoided had the building been identified as unsafe and the 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. (ANI)