SIT Formed and Three Suspended After Student Dies at Maswan Ashram School
Following the death of a seven-year-old student at the aided Ashram School in Maswan, the Health Department carried out a comprehensive medical screening of all students at the facility, while the Tribal Development administration in Thane ordered an investigation and suspended three staff members.
The deceased student was identified as seven-year-old Shreyas Shailesh Ambat. In the wake of the incident, the administration suspended the school's Headmaster Rahul Sankhye, alongside Superintendents Amruta Sawant and Pandurang Lahare, pending an official inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death and the overall management of the school.
The Additional Commissioner, Tribal Development, Thane, constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a detailed inquiry into the fatality, sanitation conditions, student health issues, and operational irregularities. The SIT is headed by Apurva Basur, Project Officer at ITDP Jawhar, as Chairman. Assistant District Health Officer Dr Shashikant Salunkhe and Junior Engineer Rahul Deore serve as members, while Assistant Project Officer Deepak Tike was appointed as Member Secretary. The committee will submit a detailed report to the Additional Commissioner.
A team of senior officials visited the Ashram School to assess the situation directly. The inspection team included Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Manoj Ranade, Project Officer Vishal Khatri, District Surgeon Dr Ramdas Marad, District Health Officer Dr Santosh Chaudhary, and Additional Tribal Commissioner Gopichand Kadam. The officials inspected drinking water, hygiene, sanitation arrangements, and the medical treatment provided to students.
As a precautionary measure, 30 students were placed under medical observation across local health centres. Of these, 24 students were admitted to the Primary Health Centre in Maswan, five to the Rural Hospital in Manor, and one to the Rural Hospital in Palghar. Officials stated that all students are currently stable and out of danger.
A specialized medical team collected blood samples, serum, and throat swabs from students to identify the cause of fever and potential infections. These samples, along with water samples from the Ashram School, were sent for testing to laboratories in Pune and the MRHRU laboratory in Dahanu. Authorities confirmed that further medical actions will be determined based on the pending laboratory results.
