Principal Suspended, Protests Continue At Gurgaon School Where 7-Year-Old Was Killed

Mangalore Today News Network

Gurgaon, Sep 09, 2017:  Amid calls for action by angry parents against a school in Gurgaon where a seven-year-old child was killed allegedly by a bus conductor inside a toilet, the acting principal of Ryan International School has been suspended.

 

"Principal Neerja Batra has been suspended. We took action against the security agency of the school. A special committee is probing the case," Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner of Police Simardeep Singh said this afternoon.

There have been angry protests at the Ryan International School by hundreds of agitated parents since yesterday morning when the seven year old boy was found with his throat slit in the school bathroom. The Class 2 student had been brutally murdered allegedly by a school bus conductor who also tried to sexually assault the boy.

The conductor, Ashok, was arrested late Friday evening after the police questioned several staff members, teachers and even spoke to students. He will be produced in a local court in Gurgaon this afternoon.

But parents say just the arrest of the conductor is not enough. They want the school to be held accountable. The father of the seven-year-old victim visited the Gurgaon Police Commissioner’s office this morning to demand action against management of the school. His elder daughter studies in Class 5 in the same school.

"The school could not even ensure basic safety for my son, how will then parents send children to school," Jyoti, the child’s mother, told news agency ANI. "My son did not even know the bus conductor as he never traveled in bus. We used to drop him and pick him," she added.

The District Collector has formed a committee which will report on the lapses by the school.

Hundreds of parents had barged into the school building yesterday, flung furniture around and shattered the glass award cases. They shouted slogans until they were ushered out by policemen of the gates. With many parents still protesting outside the school this morning, security has been significantly raised. Dozens of policemen could be seen stationed outside the school today.

Pramod Kamboj, an angry parent, says his two children go to Ryan International but neither of their teacher in-charge answered his frantic calls yesterday inquiring about the wellbeing of his children. "For any parent a school is a safe haven but not only has the school failed in providing a safe environment but also didn’t find it necessary to inform worried parents if their child was the one attacked. There must be a probe against the school too," he says.

Courtesy: NDTV