NEW DELHI, 21 July 2004 — Indian police yesterday detained 11 of 24 teachers who allegedly fled a burning building allowing 90 children to die last Friday.
One teacher surrendered, but 23 ran away from the southern Indian temple town of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu state where the tragedy occurred. Five other people, including the school principal, were arrested Saturday.
If found guilty of negligence the teachers could be imprisoned for up to seven years, a police officer confirmed.
The 11 teachers told police their efforts to put out the fire were hampered by lack of fire extinguishers and water. They told the children to remain calm and helped many out of the building, they claimed.
“It is a fact that 90 children died. But there were several hundred children in the school and the rest survived. No one is praising our efforts to save them,” teacher Shanti told New Delhi Television.
They went into hiding to escape police harassment and the wrath of grieving parents, they said.
“They didn’t run away. It was a small place. It got crowded as people started coming in to help. They saved many lives — as many as they could,” one teacher’s husband said.
There were 900 children at the Sri Krishna school Friday when a fire broke out in the kitchen, fueled by a thatched roof, and quickly flared through the building. All the victims were between the ages of 6 and 13.
Kumbakonam town observed its fourth day of mourning yesterday, with grieving parents demanding the charred school be converted into a memorial, the UNI news agency reported.
