NEW DELHI: An 11-year-boy is battling for life at AIIMS Trauma Centre after a javelin, thrown by a senior student during a practice session, pierced his skull at a school playground in CR Park area of south Delhi on Tuesday afternoon.

Doctors said the victim, Roshan Lama , was extremely critical. The class VI student of the government school had a fractured skull and had lost a lot of blood.

Ironically, Roshan had seen the javelin coming, witnesses said. He got hit while jumping to save his friend. The javelin pierced about two inches into Roshan's skull.

Police have registered a case of negligence and causing hurt, and have arrested the physical education teacher. Roshan's friends , Deepak and Vimal, who were with him when the accident happened, said there was no teacher at the ground to supervise the practice .

The class XII boy who threw the javelin has been identified. He hadn't returned home till late Tuesday.

Police said they have asked the school's principal, Niranjan Lal Sharma, to join investigations and have recorded Roshan's father's statement. The government has terminated the physical education teacher's contract and an internal inquiry has been initiated.

Roshan had left home for school around 12.30pm, and was on his way to class after the lunch break, when he got hit around 4pm. A group of around a dozen Class XII boys were practicing javelin throws at the time.

As a senior student threw the javelin from a distance of about 40 metres, Roshan saw his classmate Deepak was about to be hit.

"I heard Roshan yell 'Deepak hat ja, bhala aa raha hai' and I got pushed away. I turned and saw the javelin had entered Roshan's head from the right side. He was screaming and blood oozed out of his head," said Deepak.

Deepak said everyone rushed to Roshan's help and a senior student took the javelin out from his head. He was taken to the nearby Majidia hospital and his parents informed.

"I got a call from the school saying that my son was hurt. They did not tell me what had happened. When I reached the hospital, we found he was being given oxygen and was critical. We pulled him out and took him to the trauma centre. When we asked the vice principal why there was no teacher to supervise things, he had no answer," said Surajbhan Lama , Roshan's father, who informed the police.

Roshan's family says the accident took place due to the school's negligence. "How did the school administration allow senior students to practice javelin throws when small children were roaming on the ground. Why was not a single teacher around?" asked Lama, a driver by profession.

Meanwhile, the directorate of education has instituted an inquiry. DOE director Amit Singla said, "What actually happened can only be known after completion of the inquiry. In the meantime, we have decided to terminate the services of the physical education teacher who was a contractual appointee."

"We have to find out why no teacher was present during the practice session and why students were allowed to loiter while the practice was on," Singla said. The DOE director further added that the inquiry would be completed in two to three days.

DCP southeast P Karunakaran said the arrested physical education teacher, Sushil Kumar Sharma, had been booked under section 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of IPC.