SHILLONG, July 29: A Class XI student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Mawphlang, Nathaniel Sohtun, tragically died of electrocution on Sunday while preparing to take a bath at the school hostel.
The parents of the 17-year-old student, K Miza, and his wife, who are residents of Laban, received a call from the school around 4 pm informing them that their son was unwell and had been shifted to the Mawphlang Community Health Centre (CHC).
En route to Mawphlang, the family learned that Nathaniel had been electrocuted. Upon arrival at the CHC, they were informed that their son had passed away. Nathaniel had just completed his SSLC this year.
Doubtful about the cause of death, the family decided to proceed with a post-mortem after consulting with the Laban Police Station. Miza revealed that a complaint had been lodged with the school management a month prior regarding unsafe electrical connections, but no action was taken to address the issue.
Students corroborated this, stating they had reported erratic power connections to the Principal and the Hostel Warden. Although an electrician made partial repairs, problems persisted, with short circuits occurring during heavy rainfall and entire hostels losing power when specific light switches were used.
In response to the incident, the school management has indefinitely suspended classes. Many parents arrived to take their children home following the announcement of the closure.
Principal Nelaam Sharma declined to comment on the incident but acknowledged the students’ complaints about electrical issues in the hostels.
She described the incident as unfortunate and stated that the police are conducting an investigation. “We are still in great shock about this incident. We have already spoken to the family members of the students,” she added.
