Mangalore : The Karnataka Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has directed the Government of Karnataka to pay Rs. 2 lakh as compensation to the parents of a school girl who died in an accident at a government school in Puttur 3 years back.

Deepika had died when a cupboard fell on her at Golithottu Government School in June 2009.

KHRC Chairperson Justice S. R. Nayak had issued an order directing the public instruction department to take action against the headmaster for negligence and also to initiate a disciplinary inquiry. A copy of this order was also circulated within the media. According to the order, an action take report (ATR) was to be submitted to the KHRC at the earliest possible. The KHRC had also directed the chief secretary of the Government of Karnataka to pay Rs. 3 lakh as compensation to the parents of the dead student.

In response to this notice, the chief secretary interacted with the deputy director of the public instructions department of DK and the DC of DK and collected reports, which he then forwarded to the KHRC.

According to the reports, the DDPI had suspended the headmaster for dereliction of duty. Besides, Rs. 1 lakh was paid to the parents of the student from funds earmarked for natural calamity management. The DDPI had then sought the advice of the chief secretary to the Government of Karnataka regarding the other Rs. 2 lakh, which was to be paid as compensation.