CPI(M) demands ₹50 lakh ex-gratia for deceased students

Over 100 tribal students from Shivannapeta Gurukulam Ashram School in Kurupam mandal were hospitalized after falling seriously ill. Initially treated at Parvatipuram Area Hospital and Gummalakshmipuram Primary Health Centre (PHC), 50 students’ conditions worsened, leading to their transfer to King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam.

Communist Party of India CPI(Maxist) leaders, including central committee member K. Lokanatham, Parvatipuram district secretary Gangu Naidu, and Visakhapatnam district members Subbarao, L.J. Naidu, and V.Y. Naidu, visited the hospitalized students. They criticized the government, calling the incident a result of administrative failure.

The leaders said the school lacked basic facilities, including safe drinking water, adequate classrooms, dormitories, and a proper dining hall. These deficiencies, they claimed, led to the deaths of two students and the hospitalization of over a hundred others.

They demanded ₹50 lakh in ex-gratia for the deceased students’ families and better medical care for those still hospitalized. They also highlighted recurring health issues in Gurukulam schools, noting that regular health checkups are not conducted, and health assistants have not been appointed for several years.

The CPI(M) leaders urged immediate action, including appointing health assistants, increasing the number of bathrooms (currently only 10 for 600 students), and installing mineral water plants. They stressed that the government must take responsibility for the deaths and ensure such incidents do not happen again.