In a disturbing incident on 7 April 2025, four students were injured when a portion of the roof collapsed at a government middle school in Sekalangiri village, Deepambalpuram, near Thiruthuraipoondi in Tiruvarur district.
The accident occurred shortly after the lunch break while regular classes were underway. Among the injured students, one sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Tiruvarur Government Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. The other three students — identified as Kanishkar, Kaviyarasan, and Chandran Mohan — suffered minor injuries and are currently receiving medical care at the Thiruthuraipoondi Government Hospital.
Shocking many, the school building in question is less than a year old, raising serious concerns about construction quality and safety standards. Local residents and parents have voiced their outrage, demanding an immediate inquiry into the structural integrity of recently built government school buildings.
One parent said the negligence was unacceptable, especially when it endangered the lives of children, and added that the state government must take swift and strict action against those responsible for the substandard construction.
The incident comes just a day after a similar mishap was reported at a government school in Kanchipuram, where several students were injured. With such incidents occurring in quick succession, concerns are mounting about the safety of students in government-run schools across Tamil Nadu.
Parents and local residents are urging the state administration, led by the DMK government, to take urgent corrective measures. Many have expressed reluctance to send their children to school until assurance is given that safety standards will be strictly enforced.
Past Incidents
This is not an isolated incident; similar cases of government school ceilings collapsing on students have been recurring over the past few years under the DMK government.
- On 3 March 2024, three students from a government school near Vaniyambadi were seriously injured when the roof of a newly inaugurated classroom gave way. The collapse occurred at a panchayat union primary school in Shankarapuram, Tirupattur district.
- On 27 August 2024, three students were injured when a section of the ceiling plaster fell on them during class at a government-run school in Krishnagiri. The accident raised significant concerns about the safety and structural integrity of the building, which had only been opened two months ago with MPLADS fund.
- In another similar incident July 2024, a ceiling of a newly constructed Panchayat Union Middle School near Kanchipuram collapsed, where the building, completed three months prior.
- In August 2024, another ceiling of a classroom at a government school in Thiruporur collapsed, injuring five female students and sparking protests from parents who questioned the quality of the construction.
- Three students were seriously injured when the roof of a newly inaugurated classroom collapsed at a panchayat union primary school in Shankarapuram, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur district, on 4 March 2025. The building, constructed in 2023–2024 at a cost of ₹21 lakh with funds from AIADMK MLA Senthilkumar, had been inaugurated in August 2024. The injured students—Praneeth (Class 1), Sudarsan (Class 3), and Vishek—were rescued and taken to a private hospital.
- Seven students were injured on 7 March 2025 when the roof of a recently repaired fourth-grade classroom collapsed at Dindigul Corporation Middle School. The school, built in 2009 during the DMK government, has faced structural issues, prompting ₹1 crore worth of repairs, including the affected classroom. The incident sparked panic among parents and led to the suspension of Assistant Executive Engineer Thiagarajan. Former AIADMK Minister C. Sreenivasan blamed substandard construction, while DMK Minister I. Periyasamy defended government efforts, attributing the collapse to an older faulty repair.
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