PANJIM: The 42-year-old student with intellectual disabilities, who had sustained injuries in a fall from the old Sanjay School building at Porvorim, on Monday night, succumbed to his injuries in the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim.
The victim Sydney Rodrigues, who had been grappling with a spinal injury, had been fighting for his life in the GMC.
The incident took place on August 31 when the victim along with his mother had visited the school to update his Aadhaar Card. While they were on the second floor, his mother went inside to submit the documents, the victim was standing outside. Tragically, while leaning against a railing, it gave way, resulting in a devastating fall.
The victim had sustained head and spinal injuries and was also facing breathing issues since his ribs were also injured.
Meanwhile, activists have appealed to the State government to provide compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the Sydney’s family.
The activists stated that the government’s negligence in failing to replace faulty railings was the main reason for the tragic incident.
Expressing his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Guruprasad Pawaskar said, “Moving forward, our office is steadfast in its commitment to prioritising the safety and accessibility of all public spaces. We will take every necessary measure to ensure that safety protocols are rigorously followed and that accessibility standards are consistently met.”
Condoling the death, Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) president Avelino De Sa extended all support to the family to get justice for Sydney as it was a death which could have been avoided if not for the negligence and misplaced priorities of the government.
“We had demanded Secretary-level enquiry into the matter and compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the family. We now demand in addition to the above, criminal charges of culpable homicide be added against the concerned officials,” said De Sa.
