Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : At least two dozen girl students of local Bhagini Nivedita Girls High School located in Babu Bazaar locality under Town police station, Ara, fell unconscious on August 31, 2018, afternoon after smelling discharge of battery outside the school. They were admitted to Sadar Hospital, Ara, in an unconscious state.
Headmistress, Bhagini Nivedita Girls High School, Kundan Kumari, said that battery shops are located outside the school on the road at Babu Bazaar and they frequently discharge the battery water and acid into the drain that smel foul creating problems for the residents of the area and the school going students. She said the school administration had objected to it but in vain.
She further said on August 31, battery shop owners discharged battery water and acid into the open drain in the afternoon that released some poisonous gas which the students of the school inhaled and at least two dozen students including Shalini Kumari, Anshu Kumari, Komal Kumari, Shalu Kumari, Anjali Shubhangi, Rajnandini, Prema, Simran, Akanksha, Sanya, Shreya, Anushka, Fatima Bano, Saniya, and Komal of Class VI, VII and VIII fell unconscious. The school administration, she said, rushed them to the Sadar Hospital.
Deputy Superintendent (DS), Sadar Hospital, Ara, Dr Satish Kumar Sinha said that 25 students were brought to the hospital and were administered Oxygen and saline after examination. He said that the girls inhaled some poisonous thing and fell unconscious. He said all the students are out of danger and will be released by evening. The DS said that acid of the battery is a chemical and it reacts after coming in contact with water and air that releasing some foul smell and poisonous gases and created problem.
SHO, Town Police Station, J P Singh, said that the battery shop owners released battery water and its acid into the open drain that released poisonous gas. He said that the incident occurred due to irresponsibility on part of the battery shop owners and added action against them would be taken after investigation. The SHO said that police were identifying the area from where battery water was discharged into the drain. He said almost all the shop owners have fled away shutting down their shops after the incident.