In a horrific incident at Piplodi Government School in Jhalawar district, Rajasthan, seven students lost their lives and over 20 were injured when the ceiling of their classroom collapsed during a morning assembly. Remarkably, students had alerted their teacher moments earlier about falling gravel from the ceiling, but were allegedly ignored and told to stay seated. Reports indicate the teachers were eating poha breakfast at the time, delaying any safety response.

The tragedy occurred around 7:40 am as the students gathered indoors due to rain. The collapsing roof was part of a dilapidated structure built in 1994, which had not been flagged in recent safety audits.

Five school staff members, including the principal, have been suspended. Education Minister Madan Dilawar accepted moral responsibility, ordered a high-level probe, and announced compensation—including ₹10 lakh and a government job—for each bereaved family.

The collapse sparked protests in Jhalawar, where villagers confronted authorities demanding accountability. Congress leaders called it “murder due to criminal negligence,” demanding the education minister’s resignation and a comprehensive statewide safety audit of all government schools.