Class 3 boy slips on hot oil in SoBo school, suffers 15% burns

MUMBAI: A class 3 student of St Mary’s School (ICSE) in Mazgaon sustained nearly 15 percent burn injuries after he allegedly slipped and fell on hot oil spilled on the floor of the junior assembly hall during lunch break on Thursday. The boy is being treated at Masina burns hospital in Byculla.
An officer from Byculla police station, on condition of anonymity, said that they received an emergency police report from the hospital.CCTV footage of the incident has been shared with the boy’s parents and police for further action, but no FIR has been registered yet.
The school director said the caterer had been cooking and serving lunch on the premises for over 25 years, but post-Covid pandemic, he was told to cook the meals outside and only serve ready-to-eat food at 12.30pm. “As per the agreement, the caterer is not supposed to cook food on school premises. He apparently got a gas cylinder and fried some items,” the school director said.
On Thursday, as usual, a packed tempo of the caterer reached the school. The security guard, who let in the tempo, claimed to not have seen any gas cylinder being transported.
Students were playing in the junior assembly hall where a temporary arrangement has been made for serving lunch as ICSE exams are underway. A vessel containing hot oil was kept in a corner which had a partition. Some students are believed to have hit the partition that collapsed on the vessel and the oil spilled onto the floor. The class 3 student slipped on the hot oil and sustained burn injuries on his hands, feet and neck. He was given first aid in the school and later rushed to hospital.
The caterer said they do not usually cook on the premises, but on Thursday as noodles and spring rolls were served for lunch, they decided to prepare the food and serve it hot. He said the vessels were kept at a distance and students were not expected to be in that area.
“We had a kitchen in the school before the Covid pandemic. It is shocking that such an incident took place,” said the caterer, adding that he has been in the business for over 40 years.
School authorities said that they will revisit the canteen facility and ensure that food is not cooked on the premises.