VARANASI/LUKNOW, Nov. 3 -- An 11-year-old student died on Monday after coming into contact with a high-tension wire on the roof of his school in the Kanaila Dalit Basti of Ballia on Monday. The victim, identified as Arshad, a Class 4 student, had allegedly been sent to the roof to pluck a gourd plant.

The incident, however, reignited concerns regarding the safety of government schools in Uttar Pradesh, where thousands of students remain at risk due to high-tension power lines running over school premises.

The Ballia incident is part of a systemic crisis. In July 2019, 55 students suffered burns after a high-tension wire fell onto a government primary school in Balrampur's Utraula tehsil, prompting a statewide survey that has yet to full...