Probe ordered against Greater Noida school
In light of recent incident, we have called a meeting of all principals of Greater Noida schools on Tuesday and Noida schools on Thursday. We will also meet the parents of the victim child.
BN SINGH, district magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar
GREATER NOIDA: A day after the police arrested a 42-year-old for allegedly raping a three-and-ahalf-year-old girl inside the premises of a Greater Noidabased private school, the district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar initiated a probe against the school’s management.
A committee, led by the additional district magistrate and comprising of chief medical officer, district inspector of schools, chief fire officer and additional regional transport officer of Gautam Budh Nagar, will probe whether the private school had flouted the safety norms issued by the Central Board Of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The committee will submit its report within 15 days, after which the district administration will initiate action based on the findings.
The probe will i nclude inspection of school buses, fire safety system, background check of staff, food quality and hygiene.
“After reading various media reports claiming alleged rape of a girl student in a private school, we have set up a committee to probe whether the school management had all security measures in place and followed the security guidelines issued by the affiliating board. The committee will also probe whether the school’s management had installed sufficient close circuit television (CCTV) cameras in working condition in all areas. The five-member committee will submit its report along with its suggestions in 15 days,” GB Nagar district magistrate BN Singh said.
The magistrate has also called for a meeting of principals/heads of all private schools of Greater Noida and Noida on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. “In light of recent incident, we have called a meeting of all principals of Greater Noida schools on Tuesday and Noida schools on Thursday. We will also meet the parents of the victim child,” Singh said.
The incident took place on Thursday when the child, who is enrolled in nursery, complained of acute pain in her abdomen and private parts after returning home after swimming classes in school. When her parents took her to a hospital in Delhi, a medico legal test showed that the child had suffered injuries in her private part. The parents took the child to school on Friday and asked her to identify the man who had hurt her. The child pointed at Chandi Das, a 42-year-old life guard at the school, after which he was arrested his residence in Greater Noida on Saturday. The accused has denied charges.
The school’s management refused to answer any queries regarding the district administration’s decision to set up a probe against it on Sunday despite repeated calls and messages.
Earlier on Saturday, the school management issued a statement in defence of the life guard, stating that the CCTV footage does not show anything conclusive to suggest rape, and that the child “was in good health”.
On Sunday, police said the CCTV footage provided by the school shows the child swimming in the pool in the presence of the life guard. “There was no CCTV in the corridor or near the washroom, making them the grey areas,” Surajpur station house officer Manoj Kumar Pant said.
The child’s father claimed that his wife had spoken to their daughter’s class teacher about her feeling uneasy during the swimming class. “Prior to this incident, my wife and daughter’s class teacher also had a Whatsapp conversation in which she was informed her that my daughter feels nervous during the swimming class,” the victim’s father said.