145;Teacher locked gates146;

Words on the blackboard of class IV stare mutely at the half-burnt books, bags and footwear scattered across the classroom. Manjula, whose son Jayaprakash, a class IV student, was killed in the fire, says she saw the fire in the kitchen on the ground floor and alerted a teacher 8212; Angeline 8212; who was taking class on the first floor.

8216;8216;Instead of bringing the children, she locked the gates. I saw her running down. Later, when I went up with the fire services personnel, I saw many bodies clinging on to the grill gate,8217;8217; she adds.

Admitted at the Kumbakonam Government Hospital, Susi Mary of Class III says: 8216;8216;I saw my friends shake the gate. Some of them got burnt.8217;8217; Next to her is P. Vijay, a class IV student. 8216;8216;We screamed for help. No teacher came. After the roof, it was the curtains and then our books, tables, my friends clothes. We hugged each other tightly. Suddenly the roof fell on us. My ears are burnt,8217;8217; he says.