Sharjah school staff convicted in Indian boy's death
A Sharjah court has convicted two school staff members of negligence in the death of eight-year-old Indian student Rashid Habib, more than a year after he died following a fall at his school in Muwaileh.
The Sharjah Federal Court of Appeal ordered the defendants to pay Dh200,000 in legal blood money to the boy's family, along with a fine of Dh2,000 each, after overturning an earlier acquittal by a lower court.
The court found that the two staffers had failed in their duty to escort and monitor students from the school bus to their classrooms. CCTV footage showed that Rashid was unaccompanied at the time of the incident.
The Grade 1 student collapsed while walking alone to his classroom on March 11, 2024, the first day of Ramadan, shortly after arriving at the CBSE-curriculum school.
He was rushed to Al Qassimi Hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and was declared dead despite resuscitation attempts.
A forensic report from Sharjah Police found that Rashid had a bruise on his face, a fractured cheekbone, internal bleeding under the scalp, and serious brain injuries, including swelling and bleeding.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators confirmed that no school staff were present with the children at the time of the incident. Another child had attempted to hit Rashid moments before he fell, according to the footage. However, the critical few seconds that might have captured the exact moment of the fall were missing.
The appeal court ruled that the staff's absence amounted to gross negligence and that had they been present, the accident could likely have been prevented.
Rashid's father, Habib Yasar, told Khaleej Times the family continues to grapple with the loss.
"Not a day goes by when we don't remember Rashid," he said in a phone conversation on Tuesday. "Our lives have never been the same. We keep thinking of what could have been if someone had just been there to watch over him. Why was there no CCTV camera? A school is supposed to be like a second home, but it didn't take care of my child. This conviction brings some closure, but the pain remains. We lost a part of ourselves that day."
The family had earlier claimed the boy was bullied and attacked during the missing seconds, a charge the school denied in a prior response to Khaleej Times.
Khaleej Times is withholding the name of the school due to ongoing legal and administrative proceedings.
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