The situation turned critical in Punjab’s Daburdi village after the Ravi river overflowed nearly 9 kilometers beyond its banks, inundating the campus of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya with 4 to 5 feet of water.
As the floodwaters surged, around 400 hostel students and 40 staff members were trapped inside the premises. Panic spread quickly, and emergency calls were made to authorities.
The school has come under scrutiny for allegedly ignoring government orders to remain closed due to incessant rainfall. Taking serious note of this, the Punjab Education Department issued a show cause notice to Principal Naresh Kumar, accusing him of negligence and endangering students’ lives.
Principal Naresh Kumar, however, stated that most of the children were hostel residents and could not be immediately sent home when the water level rose suddenly.
The district administration and disaster management teams responded swiftly, and the Gurdaspur administration confirmed that students and teachers were stranded in large numbers. The Army and NDRF were deployed, and a war-footing evacuation drive was launched. After hours of intense operations, all children and staff were successfully rescued.
The Education Department has sought a detailed reply from the principal and termed the incident a major lapse in ensuring student safety.