Security lapses in Panipat school: Child rights panel

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, September 22

Probing the child molestation case, Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) Chairperson Jyoti Bainda today found security lapses in The Millennium School here and charged the principal with negligence.

The police sealed the principal’s office on the direction of the commission Chairperson and seized the digital video recorder, which would be sent to the FSL in Madhuban. The Chairperson directed closure of the school till further orders.

The HSCPCR Chairperson visited the school with Suman Bhankhar, MC Joint Commissioner-cum-inquiry officer, and DSP Vidyawati. They inspected all buildings of the school and the spot where the incident occurred.

“I watched CCTV footage with some parents and some footage of the period in question was missing,” Bainda said. So I ordered that the principal’s office be sealed and the digital video recorder be seized,” she said. The role of the principal and other staff members was not satisfactory, she added.

Despite investigating the matter, they tried to manipulate the matter by saying the girl was crying due to exam phobia before her parents, Bainda further said. The principal was not present during the investigation today, she pointed out.

“I was told that she was hospitalised, which was found to be false. She told me over telephone that she was on the way, but did not arrive,” she added. The school administrator informed her that the accused was not present in the school, she further said.

“I have ordered an inquiry under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act,” Bainda said. A notice would be issued to the principal and all staff members proven guilty of negligence in the inquiry would not be spared, she asserted.

Parents worried 

Panipat: Parents of children studying in The Millennium School here are concerned about the security of their children after a girl was molested on the school premises on Wednesday. 

The concerned parents’ gheraoed the school principal for security lapses yesterday. Sudha Jha from Sector 18 said, “I am worried about my daughter’s security after the Ryan International incident.” 

Another parent Vikram Singh said the school was charging a fee ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per month but the facilities provided to the children were woefully lacking. 

Sapna Bajaj of Model Town said, “My two sons are studying here. We pay a heavy fee to the school which has failed to provide security to our children.”

Six-member parents’ panel

A six-member committee of parents has been set up to deal with the issue. The committee comprises Gitika Paruthi, Amanpreet Kaur, Sudha Jha, Anmol Adhlakha, Madhur Kataria and Palak Gupta.

Dharna against principal

Members of the Parents’ Association staged a dharna at the main gate of the school on Friday morning. They filed a complaint at women police station, demanding the principal’s arrest. Talking to the HSCPCR Chairperson, they accused the principal of a cover-up attempt.

Police remand for accused

The police arrested the accused, Tarun, a resident of Rakesh Nagar, on Thursday night. On Friday, he was produced in court, which sent him to one-day police remand. SHO Suresh Kumar said the accused was working in the school for the last three or four years.