A 10-year-old Class 4 student died after his neck became entangled in a makeshift cloth swing at a government primary school in Mahasamund district, prompting the education department to suspend the headmaster and an assistant teacher. The incident occurred at the school in Basna block on Friday, before classes had begun.
The child, identified as Tarun Chauhan, had reached the campus and was playing with around eight to nine other children. Police said the swing had been made from cloth or saris tied to a tree and was being used by children both for swinging and for hanging upside down while playing.
According to the preliminary account, Tarun slipped while using the swing and the cloth became entangled around his neck, leaving him suspended. Some women who arrived at the school premises saw the child and attempted to bring him down, but he had already died.
Bhanwarpur police outpost in-charge Anjana Chandra said the incident took place before teachers had arrived at the school. A school helper had reportedly opened the premises and left shortly afterwards. The account has raised questions about access to the campus and the supervision arrangements in place before the school day officially began.
Police registered a case and sent the body to Basna community health centre for a post-mortem examination. The body was later handed over to the family. The precise medical cause of death will be confirmed through the post-mortem report.
District education officer BL Dewangan suspended the headmaster and an assistant teacher after a preliminary inquiry into safety and supervision at the school. The suspensions are administrative action pending further examination of the circumstances, and the source report does not state that the inquiry has reached a final finding of individual responsibility.
Officials are examining how long the makeshift swing had remained tied to the tree, whether staff knew that children routinely used it, and what supervision arrangements were in place before classes began. These questions are central to establishing how an improvised play structure remained available on a government school campus and whether earlier risks had been identified.
The incident brings school-campus safety and the management of informal play equipment into immediate focus. In this case, the education department’s inquiry and the post-mortem examination are expected to establish the sequence of events and clarify the responsibilities of staff and other adults who had access to the premises before classes began.
