‘From Festivities to Funeral’: Wall Collapse Kills Grade-3 Girl on Children’s Day

Srinagar | November 14: While schools across the Valley marked Children’s Day with skits and celebrations, tragedy struck a government school in Kupwara on Saturday when a boundary wall collapsed, killing a nine-year-old girl, officials said.
The incident turned a day meant for laughter into grief for the family of the Class 3 student at Government Upper Primary School (UPS) Bandpora in Zone Drugmulla, turning Children’s Day 2026 in Kashmir into a somber memory, reports said.
Following the incident, the Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) ordered an immediate inquiry and suspended the school head, officials said. “In view of the unfortunate death of student of Class 3rd within the School premises and pending enquiry, Head of the Institution (HoI) UPS Bandpora, Zone Drugmulla, Kupwara is placed under suspension with immediate effect,” the DSEK communique stated.
During the suspension period, she will remain attached to the office of the Chief Education Officer (CEO), Kupwara, officials added. “Further, Hakeem Tanveer Ahmad, (JKAS), Joint Director- North is appointed as Inquiry Officer who shall conduct the in-depth inquiry into the circumstances that has caused the untoward incident,” the order read, directing the officer to submit a report within three days.
According to a separate DSEK communique citing a report from CEO Kupwara, the school—which has 175 enrolled students—was on its lunch break when children were playing in the lawn, sources said. “During, this period some students reportedly moved towards the rear side of the school building where a boundary wall adjoining the school premises collapsed. As per the information received from CEO Kupwara, one student of Najar Mohalla, Bandpora Drugmulla, Class-3, aged 9 years, came under the debris of the collapsed wall,” the communique read.
The injured child was rushed to Sub-District Hospital Kupwara, where doctors declared her dead on arrival, officials said. “The exact cause of the collapse of the boundary wall is yet to be ascertained and requires detailed investigation by the technical officers,” the statement concluded.