15-year-old boy killed by javelin in freak accident during practice session at school

PTI, Sep 7, 2023, 12:44 PM IST

A15-year-old boy died after a javelin thrown by another student during a practice session pierced his head at a school in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, the police said on Thursday. Hujefa Daware had bent down to tie his shoelace and didn’t realise the pointed object was moving towards him, an official said.

The freak incident took place at INT English School at Purar, Goregaon, in the Mangaon taluka of the district on Wednesday afternoon when students were practising javelin throwing at the school’s ground, he said.

Daware was also a part of the javelin team that was preparing for a taluka level meet, the official said.

As the practice session was underway, a fellow student hurled a javelin, the official said. However, Daware apparently failed to notice that the long stick with a pointed end was flying in his direction. The teen was hit in the head when he bent down to tie his shoelace, the official said.

Daware collapsed on the spot after the javelin pierced his head. The profusely bleeding student died before he could be taken to the hospital, the official said. The Goregaon police in the district have registered a case of accidental death for now and are examining if there was any negligence on the part of the student who threw the javelin, he said.

The police have also sought the footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the school and the ones covering the playground. A probe into the matter is going on, he added.