2 schoolgirls injured after mattress mystery

By L.B.Senaratne

Two children from a leading girls' school had allegedly fallen through their hostel roof after they had climbed it to put out their mattress to dry, while their parents complained that no school authorities visited them in hospital.

The matron is alleged to have told the two students to put out their mattress to dry. One girl is from Badulla and the other from an SOS village in Anuradhapura.

According to the complaint lodged by the father of the girl from Badulla, the matron had allegedly directed the two girls to put out their mattress on the hostel roof. When the girls were climbing down after doing so, the roof had reportedly caved in and the girls had fallen to the ground.

The father had complained that no member of the school staff had visited the children in hospital. He alleged that within hours of the incident the school authorities had repaired the roof and cleaned traces of blood. It is learnt that a Christian priest took the children to hospital.

The girl from Badulla is reported to have suffered injuries to her liver and kidney. The girl from Anuradhapura had reportedly fractured both arms and when the SOS village authorities had come to interview the principal, she had reportedly been nasty to them and allegedly said the girls were very naughty.

The girl's father who went to the Kandy Police station to make a complaint had been reportedly told that since it was an accident, there was no need to complain. But when details of the incident were given, the police had taken down the complaint.
The lament of the father was that not a single person from the school had visited the children in hospital where the girl from Badulla is still under treatment due to the alleged rupture of her liver.