Now, Shaan is dead and Yash has been receiving threats for deciding to speak out about what transpired in the few days that led to the untimely death of his best friend, a ninth grader, studying in one of India’s most reputed schools. Today, Yash is no longer a student at Sherwood.

Shaan, the only child of a single mother in Nepal, died on November 14. Shaan’s mother, Neena Shrestha, has filed a case of negligence against the school authorities. She alleges that school principal Amandeep Sandhu failed to ensure speedy treatment for her child.

Two separate investigations—by district magistrate and police—are ongoing. Yash was with Shaan when he fell sick and has decided to speak out despite the threats. His family has filed an FIR after he received two threatening calls—on December 15 and 17.

Shaan first fell sick on November 9.  “He complained of difficulty in breathing and chest pain,” says Yash.

“We went to the infirmary, early in the morning, where the nurse gave him Flexon tablets. Nothing came of it and he went to the infirmary again where the nurse gave him the same medicine. The next day, November 10, his health didn’t get any better, and he went to the infirmary the third time and the nurse gave him Flexon tablets and sent him back to the dorm. On November 11 things got worse, when Shaan started vomiting blood and live worms, early in the morning. I took him to the infirmary where he was admitted.”

That entire day and the next, Shaan was kept in the infirmary.

“When I went to see him on November 12, Shaan was in a state of shock and said to me ‘Please call my mother and ask her to take me away from here.’ He also pleaded with the nurse, who didn’t listen to him and said, ‘You are just making excuses because the exams are near.’ They didn’t take him to the hospital. Doctor’s permission is a must to go to hospital, we were told. I called my mum and told her about Shaan’s health and asked her to convey the message to Shaan’s mom.”

It was only on November 13, almost 48 hours after Shaan had vomited blood and live worms, that he was taken to hospital. Yash went with him because he had to get his eyes checked.

Before leaving for hospital, the nurse had asked Shaan to put on his school uniform. But by this time he was too weak. There was also no car and the nurse asked the boys to walk all the way to the main gate (the distance from the infirmary to the main gate is almost a kilometre). “Shaan was in no condition to walk,” says Yash.  “When some of the helpers saw him, they rushed to carry him all the way. At the main gate there was no ambulance and we were taken to the Bombay Haldwani Hospital in a Mahindra jeep. In the vehicle, when the health technician put his phone on speaker I heard our infirmary nurse say, ‘Don’t give him water with the medicine. He will vomit it out and dirty the car.’”

Once at the hospital, Shaan was immediately admitted to the ICU and Yash overheard the doctors say to the owner, “We need to refer this kid to some other place. He is not going to survive. Sherwood is a reputed school, which means unnecessary hassle for the hospital. Our reputation is at stake.” He also heard them talk to the principal.

Yash was with Shaan until eight that evening. “By this time, Shaan was turning blue and kept asking for water but no one was listening,” says Yash. “I had to get water for him. ‘I don’t want to die,’ he told me and I told him he wouldn’t. ‘But if I die, please take care of my mother. Tell her I will always be with her. I was sent home that night. The next day, I was told that my best friend had passed away.”

Yash’s mother Babita Agrawal informed Neena Shrestha about Shaan’s health on November 13. By the time Shrestha reached New Delhi, Shaan had already been declared dead. The autopsy report mentioned ‘septicaemia’, which is caused when certain bacteria get into the bloodstream. The school principal has denied all allegations and the Bishop of Agra, Chairman of the Governing Body of Sherwood College, has also made it clear that the governing body feels no action is necessary against anyone.