Today's raid on the school premises by a group of parents during the visit of influential political leaders and the police has unearthed much of what the school was trying to hide.
Sahibabad MLA Sunil Sharma visited the school today, along with other political leaders
Are the Ghaziabad police and administration supposed to wake up for the investigation of the mysterious death of a student only when a minister with the state government comes to the spot along with the local MLA and the city mayor?
This seems to be the case, where the investigation into the death of 10-year-old Armaan Sehgal, a student of GD Goenka Public School, Indirapuram, is concerned.
The role of the police and the district administration are under serious question. The authorities have not been able to tell the aggrieved family or the media about their questioning of the principal, the classteacher or the staff members of the school, and what came of the questioning.
Today's raid on the school premises by a group of parents during the "VIP" visit has unearthed much of what the school authorities were trying to hide from the outside world. The security features within the school have been left exposed to the outside world now.
Pictures clearly show that the under-construction area was not sealed, the CCTV camera installed was not functional and that there was water leaking from the tank on the school terrace; the medical room was equipped with medicines that had crossed their date of expiry; and the oxygen tank in the medical room was redundant, as its expiry date was also past.
Some parents openly alleged before the minister, MLA and the mayor that the name of GD Goenka Public School, Indirapuram, did not figure on the list of CBSE-approved schools in the education board website until the incident took place. They allege foul play, as within hours of Armaan's death, the CBSE website included the name of the school in its list of approved institutions.
But the most important role when it comes to schools in a city is that of the District Inspector of Schools, or the DIOS. This officer is the sole authority to keep a regular check on safety and security measures in all district schools, apart from ensuring that the schools are not fleecing parents in the name fee hikes. The role of the DIOS, Ghaziabad, has come under the scanner after this sad incident of 10-year-old Armaan Sehgal’s death.
It is every parent’s wish in the NCR that a thorough investigation of the incident be conducted and the guilty be brought to book. The mayor of Ghaziabad Ashu Verma, local MLA Sunil Sharma and the Minister of State Atul Garg should ensure that apart from free and fair investigations, the role of the DIOS of Ghaziabad be probed thoroughly. If this does not happen, such incidents will continue to happen and such VIP visits will remain just a lip service to justice.
