3 die after falling into tank at Rajasthan school

Three girls aged between six and eight died when one of the concrete slabs over a 20ft deep tank built with allegedly substandard materials gave way at their govt school in Rajasthan's Bikaner. Tuesday's tragedy in Devnada Kedli village of Nokha area sparked a firestorm of

negligence allegations

and protests against school staff and education dept officials. Police filed an FIR late Wednesday. Grieving families and villagers have been protesting outside the mortuary where the three bodies have been kept. Local politicians, including Nagaur's RLP MP Hanuman Beniwal, joined the protests Thursday and threatened to gherao the district collectorate on Friday if their demands were not addressed. The FIR names 10 people, including officers of district education dept, panchayat representatives, engineers, and school staff. The tank slab collapsed around 10.30am Tuesday while Pragya, Bharti, and Ravina were playing over it, causing the three to plunge into it.