– Mita Mukherjee

A Class I student of Mitra Institution in Bhowanipore in south Kolkata was admitted to hospital and had to be treated in the ICU after being bitten allegedly by a venomous snake at the school on Monday during school hours.

Dripta Paul (7) was administered anti-venom, but sources in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of state-run SSKM Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment, said on Monday night that his condition was stable.

The school, housed in a building which chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said is in poor condition, remained shut on Tuesday.

A Forest Department team inspected the entire school campus on Monday. The inspection continued throughout the day on Tuesday, but the snake could not be traced, sources said.

Mitra Institution has been in the news since the new BJP government came to power. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, studied at the school a century ago.

This was the second incident of a student being bitten by a snake inside school premises in the city in a week. A Class III student was bitten by a non-venomous snake inside the campus of a private school located on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass on August 18. The girl was also admitted to hospital and discharged the following day. She joined school only on Monday.

Doctors at SSKM Hospital told the parents of the Mitra Institution student that he was bitten by a Russell’s viper.

Headmaster of Mitra Institution Raja De said the boy was bitten during the break, around 8.45 am, inside a room. “The boy said he was bitten by the snake around tiffin break. He, along with two of his friends, informed their teacher. He was immediately taken to SSKM Hospital, where he was administered anti-venom. We have no clue how a snake like a Russell’s viper could be found inside our campus. I have spoken to many elderly staff who worked at the school for more than 30 years. But no one said that a snake was ever seen inside the campus. The room where the boy got bitten is not a full-fledged store room and no debris was kept there. Forest Department officials inspected the school on Monday. A thorough inspection will also be carried out throughout the day on Tuesday to trace the snake. We are constantly in touch with the boy’s relatives,” Das told EducationWorld.

Sources in the Forest Department said it was very unlikely that a venomous snake like a Russell’s viper could be spotted inside the school, located almost at the heart of the city.

“We have to carry out some detailed investigation to confirm the presence of the snake on the campus,” the official said.

The boy told his teachers that he suffered the bite when he picked up the snake from the floor, thinking it was a rope.

Both morning and day sections of the school remained closed on Tuesday, the headmaster said.

Soon after the incident came to light, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said he had spoken to the SSKM doctor over a video call and seen the patient. He also spoke to the boy’s mother.

However, the two incidents of children being bitten by snakes have raised concerns among several schools, and many schools have decided to create awareness among students about what to do if they spot a snake on the campus.

Partha Pratim Baidya, headmaster of Jadavpur Vidyapith, said, “After Monday’s incident, we have issued a Standard Operating Procedure. We have advised students to avoid loitering in dark corridors and isolated corners. They have been asked to check classroom benches and the floor before sitting, remain calm and immediately inform their teacher if they spot a snake,” Baidya told EducationWorld.

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