In a significant judgment, a Sharjah court has convicted two school staff members for negligence that led to the death of 8-year-old Indian student Rashid Habib. The tragic incident occurred in March 2024 at a private CBSE-curriculum school located in Muwaileh.
The Sharjah Federal Court of Appeal overturned a previous acquittal, ruling that the staff had failed in their basic duty to supervise students during arrival. The court imposed a fine of Dh2,000 on each defendant and ordered them to pay Dh200,000 in legal blood money to the grieving family.
Rashid collapsed on March 11, 2024—coinciding with the first day of Ramadan—while walking alone from the school bus to his classroom. No staff accompanied him at the time. CCTV footage later confirmed that the boy was unsupervised.
The Grade 1 student was rushed to Al Qassimi Hospital in cardiac arrest. Despite emergency resuscitation, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
A forensic report by Sharjah Police detailed Rashid’s injuries: a facial bruise, a fractured cheekbone, internal scalp bleeding, and serious brain trauma including swelling and hemorrhaging.
Further investigation of surveillance footage revealed that no staff members were present during the incident. The footage also showed another child attempting to hit Rashid just moments before he collapsed. However, a few critical seconds of footage—potentially showing the exact moment of the fall—were missing.
The appeal court held that the absence of responsible adults during school hours constituted gross negligence. The court noted that if staff had been present, the fatal accident could likely have been avoided.
Rashid’s father, Habib Yasar, expressed the family’s ongoing grief.
“Not a day goes by when we don’t remember Rashid,” he told Khaleej Times in a phone interview. “Our lives changed forever. We keep wondering—what if someone had just been there? A school is meant to be a second home, but it failed to protect him. This verdict brings some closure, but the pain stays with us. We lost a part of ourselves that day.”
The family had previously alleged that Rashid was bullied and attacked in the missing moments of the video. The school has denied the claim.
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