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Mother of boy who died in cheese flicking says she is living 'in a black hole' of depression

MOTHER of a boy who was killed after cheese was thrown at him wants pupils to understand that an allergy can kill.

Rina Cheema's son Karanbir died following an anaphylactic reaction after cheese was flicked at him by another pupil at break time at his school in Greenford, West London.


Speaking to the BBC about his death she said: "I live in a black hole. Angry. My life is without my son. It's something that's going to haunt me for the rest of mt life."

She continued: "I sent him to a place where I thought he'd be safe, only to find out nobody knew what they were doing.

"If they knew that allergies causes problems - it's no harm giving him an EpiPen. They could have given him an EpiPen.

"Or even dialed 999 straight away. He would be here with me today."

Karanbir was severely allergic to wheat, gluten, all dairy products, eggs and all nuts and eggs, and was also asthmatic.

When the incident happened, in 2017, Karanbir went straight to the school office where he was given his asthma inhaler and an antihistamine.

When his condition started deteriorating, his adrenaline pen was used. However, it was out of date and a back-up was not in place.

The school immediately called an ambulance. Paramedics arrived at Karanbir's side half an hour after he had alerted staff, and he went into cardiac arrest.

He died 11 days later in hospital.

Urging people not to take an allergy as a joke, Rina said: "That's why I keep on saying to everybody: 'Please take allergies seriously.'

"Because it costs lives and again it has cost lives."

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ISKCON reclaims historic London birthplace for £1.6 million after 56 years

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  • ISKCON London acquires 7 Bury Place, its first UK temple site opened in 1969, for £1.6 million at auction.
  • Five-storey building near British Museum co-signed by Beatle George Harrison who helped fund original lease.
  • Site to be transformed into pilgrimage centre commemorating ISKCON's pioneering work in the UK.
ISKCON London has successfully reacquired 7 Bury Place, the original site of its first UK temple, at auction for £1.6 m marking what leaders call a "full-circle moment" for the Krishna consciousness movement in Britain.

The 221 square metre freehold five-storey building near the British Museum, currently let to a dental practice, offices and a therapist, was purchased using ISKCON funds and supporter donations. The organisation had been searching for properties during its expansion when the historically significant site became available.

The building holds deep spiritual importance as ISKCON's UK birthplace. In 1968, founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada sent three American couples to establish a base in England. The six devotees initially struggled in London's cold, using a Covent Garden warehouse as a temporary temple.

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