Punjab-origin boy in UK dies of allergy after cheese forced into his mouth at school
A 13-year-old Punjab-origin boy with a dairy allergy died in the UK after suffering a severe reaction to a piece of cheese allegedly forced on him by a schoolmate, prompting the Scotland Yard to launch a probe.
Karanbir Cheema died on Sunday after suffering a severe reaction to a piece of cheese allegedly forced upon him at school last month during a break.
“The boy was taken to a hospi- tal in a life-threatening condition. Police were subsequently called when it became apparent that an incident had occurred which led to the boy coming into contact with the allergen.,” Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
“A 13-year-old boy, a pupil at the same school, was held and interviewed in connection with the incident . He has been bailed to return on a date in July.
Karanbir, known as Karan, was allergic to wheat, gluten and dairy, eggs, and nuts and his condition was well-known at school.
On June 28, he went to the school office to inform them of a reaction to some cheese and staff gave him medication kept specially for him but his condition quickly worsened and he was rushed to hospital.
Doctors struggled to save his life but he died on Sunday. His parents are now demanding answers. “I want to get to the bottom of what happened. I will be asking the school if he was bullied but my son was popular, you could not help but like that child, he never made enemies,” said his mother Rina.
“My son had allergies but he was careful. We are just devastated,” said his father Amarjeet.
The executive head teacher of William Perkin High Church of England High School, Alice Hudson, said staff were aware of Karan’s allergies and gave him his medication before paramedics arrived. “He was able to come to the office to indicate that he thought he was having an extreme reaction and they were able to administer treatment,” she said.