Krishnagar, March 14: A little girl fell into a tub full of steaming starch while playing in her school courtyard minutes before rice was to be served for the mid-day meal yesterday.

A portion of the courtyard at Udaychand Primary School in Bethuadahari, Nadia, dou-bles as the kitchen every day. Over 100 children play in the 200-odd square feet left vacant by the cooks.

Yesterday, the starch was left open next to the rice pot. Six-year-old Puja Nag, playing catch-me-if-you-can, tumbled into it.

Teachers pulled her out of waist-deep starch.

She has been admitted to the block hospital with 40 per cent burns, waist down. “The condition of the girl is serious. She may have to be referred to a bigger hospital,” said Bethuadahari block medical officer Vivek Das.

Some 500 people marched to the school this morning and locked up its four teachers in a room. Guardians wondered how the meal could be cooked in the courtyard.

Puja’s father Tapas, a poor farmer, accused the teachers of being nonchalant even after the accident. “The meals are cooked in open ovens. The accident was waiting to happen.”

Two days ago, three-and-a-half-year-old Raju Mohammad fell into a container full of boiling khichdi in a North Dinajpur school. He is in hospital with 50 per cent burns.

The district authorities have not ordered a probe.

In Bethuadahari, about 130km from Calcutta, the vill-agers demanded punishment for the teachers.

“Who is going to bear her medical expenses?” asked Samir Ghosh, whose daughter is in Class II.

The Nadia Primary School Council has ordered a probe. “I’ve also summoned the headmistress to seek an explana- tion on why the hot starch was kept within easy reach of children,” said council chairman Bibhash Biswas.

He added that the school had been asked to bear the expenses of Puja’s treatment.

Headmistress Keya Rani Ghosh apologised for the incident but defended her teachers, saying they were busy doing some “official work”.

“The accident took place when the meal was about to be served. The children were playing,” she said.

Police rescued the teachers around 1pm, three hours after they had been taken hostage.