Ahmedabad school stabbing: ‘Shocked’ parents of 160 students seek TCs

Parents of 160 students of Seventh Day Adventist School in Khokhra area of Ahmedabad have sought transfer certificates a week after a student was stabbed to death near the school premises.

The incident happened on August 20 when a student of class eight stabbed a class 10 student near the main gate of the school. The victim ran towards the school premises and collapsed inside.

‘School is not safe for children’

Later, it was revealed that the school management not only did not call an ambulance but called a water tanker instead to clean off the blood stains from the floor.

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The information has come as a shock to many parents who approached the District Education Officer (DEO), stating that they no longer feel the school is a safe place for their children.

“When the school was sent a show cause notice, many of us parents defended the school and held that the school should not close down, as it would put the future of the students in jeopardy. However, now we are getting to know that the school principal called a water tanker minutes after the student with bleeding stab wounds ran into the school premises. We were all shocked. I don’t feel that the management, which has such apathy towards its students, should run a school. How can I send my daughter to a school where the authorities don’t care if they live or die?” Rashmi Patel, a parent who was an eyewitness to the incident, told The Federal.

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“The parents' association called a meeting on August 22, and many of us agreed that the school isn’t a safe place to send our children. We approached Rohit Chaudhary (DEO) on the matter, and he agreed to help us get the children admitted to other schools,” she added.

What DEO said

The parents’ association of the Seventh Day Adventist School has also submitted a formal application to the Commissioner and the Mayor of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), demanding cancellation of the land lease of the school.

Meanwhile, G Immanuel, the Principal of the school, Mayurika Patel, the administrator and four other management staff have been dismissed with immediate effect by orders of the DEO.

“We are making sure that the students who are seeking transfer certificates can continue their education without disruption in another school. The majority of the requests to leave the school have come from students of class 9 and a handful from classes 6, 7 and 8. We have also directed the school to refund the excess school fees of students who are seeking to leave,” said Rohit Chaudhary, the DEO of Ahmedabad.

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“A new principal and staff will be appointed at Seventh Day Adventist School soon, and it will reopen for students who still want to continue in the school. For now, students of classes 6 to 12 are attending school online,” he added.

School asked to produce documents

A fresh notice has been issued from the office of the DEO to the Seventh Day Adventist School to produce documents like certified copies of approvals for running classes 1-12, certified copies of permissions for class expansion, copy of the NOC obtained from Gujarat government for ICSE board affiliation, building use permission, certified copies of ownership or rental agreements of the school building and playground, floor-wise sanctioned building maps approved by the authority, trust deed of the school, copy of the school’s PTR (Pupil Teacher Ratio) record, ICSE affiliation certificate, fire NOC for all school buildings, class-wise student strength, list of teachers with their qualifications, details of teachers’ salaries with account numbers, recognition documents of colleges running inside the school campus, NOC taken (if any) from ICSE Board or Gujarat Board for colleges functioning in the campus.

FIR registered

The Crime Branch, Ahmedabad, that is probing the case, has filed an FIR against Immanuel, Patel, and four others for negligence and failing to report the incident to the police.

“As per the CCTV footage taken from the school, the incident occurred at 12.03 pm near the Meldi Mata Mandir, about 100 metres from the school’s main gate. After being stabbed, the victim ran back towards the school while bleeding profusely. As he entered the premises, the guards did not help him at all. However, they informed the authorities, who in turn also did nothing to help the victim. An ambulance was called by the parents of the victim at around 12.45 pm. However, the school management called a water tanker that had arrived at 12.15 to clean the blood off the floor,” said Bharat Patel, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Crime Branch, Ahmedabad.

“We have taken statements of more than 20 people, including parents and students who were eyewitnesses to the incident, and based on that, we have filed a FIR for negligence against the school authorities under sections 211 and 239 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” added Bharat Patel, who is handling the case.