Barmer/Jaisalmer/Jaipur, July 29 -- A six-year-old boy was killed on Monday after a concrete slab holding up the main gate of a government girls' school in Jaisalmer district collapsed, police said, in an incident that came just three days after seven children were killed when a portion of a government school building collapsed in Jhalawar. The deceased was identified as Arbaz Khan, a student of the nearby boys' school, who was waiting outside the Government Girls' Senior Secondary School in Poonam Nagar area where his sisters are enrolled, police said, adding that a teacher and a five-year-old girl of the school were injured in the incident. "The incident took place at around 1 pm. The deceased, Arbaz Khan, studied at a nearby boys' school and had gone to accompany his two sisters after his school was over when the gate collapsed, leading to his death," Om Prakash Chaudhary, sub-inspector, Ramgarh police station, said. Arbaz, a class-I student, was standing outside the main gate of the girls' school along with 15-20 other students and parents. "He was standing near a concrete slab holding the main gate. After the slab collapsed, the entire gate came crashing down, and Khan got stuck underneath it," Chaudhary said, adding the boy died on the spot. A teacher of the school, Ashok Soni (42), and a student, Priya Kumari (five), who were standing near the gate also sustained injuries. Both are admitted to a local hospital, police said. Arbaz's family members and local residents staged a dharna outside the school with his body. They demanded immediate action against the school management, alleging the school gate was in a dilapidated condition for a long time but no action was taken despite the same being flagged to authorities. "This is a result of sheer negligence by the authorities," the boy's uncle Shamsher Khan told reporters. "Arbaz had lost his father, Talab Khan, during Covid pandemic. He is survived by his mother, an elder brother, and two sisters-who study in class 8 and class 7 in the same school." School principal Suman Bala said the authorities had already been informed about the deteriorating condition of the gate. "I have been working in this school since March 2024. We had instructed the staff to ensure no student goes near the gate. Unfortunately, the child involved in the accident came from outside when the tragedy happened today," Bala told reporters. "We had informed higher officials about the gate's poor condition... Of the 12 classrooms in the school, two-three are in a dilapidated condition and have been locked to prevent any mishap." Following the incident, Jaisalmer legislator Chhotu Singh Bhati, whose ancestral house is located near the school, reached the spot along with a team from the Ramgarh police station, district collector Pratap Singh, tehsildar Mahaveer Prasad, and SDM Saksham Goyal. Collector Singh said after inspecting the site, it was evident that the gate was in a dilapidated condition. "A committee has been formed to investigate the incident, and strict action will be taken against those found negligent," he added. The families of the deceased and those injured will receive all assistance as per government norms, he said, adding police and the district administration are probing the matter and a case may also be lodged against those responsible soon. State education minister Madan Dilawar termed the incident "disheartening". "I have already directed the education department officials to ensure that no such mishap takes place further. However, I also urge everyone to move carefully outside their homes during such a heavy monsoon season," he said. The incident came just days after seven students died in a school building collapse incident in Jhalawar on Friday. A day later, minister Dilawar had said that repairing all school buildings in the state was not possible as he could not pay for it from his "own pocket", drawing strong criticism from the opposition Congress. On Monday, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said: "The death of another minor in Jaisalmer due to the sudden collapse of a school gate days after the Jhalawar tragedy is extremely concerning for the state government. I urge the CM Bhajan Lal Sharma to take immediate action to prevent any further loss of lives." The incident once again highlighted the dilapidated state of government school buildings in the desert state. HT reported on Sunday citing an internal report of the state's education department that found at least 2,710 school buildings in the state in a dilapidated condition since 2024. Of the total buildings, about 504 are located in Jaisalmer only, while 83 are in Jhalawar. A fund of Rs.254 crore was also allocated in the last two budgets for the repair of these buildings, however, a major chunk of it is yet to be released by the finance department, the report revealed. In a separate incident in Udaipur district, around 45 students sitting in three classrooms of Naya Rajpura Government Higher Primary School had a narrow escape on Monday when the plaster of the roofs collapsed while the classes were on. "We have already arranged an alternative setup for the students of the school...We will repair the building soon," primary education officer of the district, Bhagirath Meghwal, said....