Education Secy forms SIT, seeks report within week

Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 13

Three days after the death of a Class XI student in a hostel washroom, a special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case.

Krishan Kumar, Secretary, School Education, formed the SIT today and sought a report within a week. The SIT constituted under the observation of Project Director Dr Maninder Singh Sarkaria included District Education Officer (Secondary) Himmat Singh Hundal, District Education Officer (Elementary) Gurpreet Kaur Dhaliwal and Principal, Senior Secondary School for Meritorious Students, Ludhiana, Amarjit Singh.

Yesterday, IPS Malhotra, OSD to the Director General, School Education, Punjab, had asked the Secretary, School Education, to conduct a departmental inquiry into the matter.

Mohali officiating Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain had also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and sought report from SDM Jagdeep Saigal within a week.

Taking a suo moto notice of the case, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had asked the investigating officials to appear before it on March 20.

The case

Harmanjit Singh, a Class XI student of the medical stream at the Senior Secondary School for Meritorious Students, Sector 70, Mohali, was found dead at a hostel washroom on Monday night under mysterious circumstances. The school authorities had termed it a suicide, but the victim’s parents alleged it was a murder.

The victim’s family members had alleged that the school authorities were hand in glove with the investigating police officers. They had alleged that even as all evidence clearly indicated towards murder, the police were not taking any action. They demanded that a case of murder should be registered against Principal Ritu Sharma and warden Sushil Kumar.