Lucknow: In the state capital Lucknow a Private boarding school allows girls and boys to share same rooms. With students crammed up in damp rooms located in a dingy double-storey building, stinking toilets, lack of open spaces and basic infrastructure, this boarding school in Lucknow’s Bazarkhala is a school for namesake.
On this school two separate FIRs related to sodomy, rape and causing death due to negligence have been registered.The first case was lodged by a Class 5 boy’s father, who alleged that his son was sexually harassed by a 13-year-old boy during his stay at the boarding school.
The complainant also alleged that the boy fell ill after sexual harassment and died during treatment at KGMU’s trauma centre on August 7.
Another FIR was lodged by a mother of Class 4 girl, accusing senior boys of raping her daughter. In both the FIRs, the parents alleged that sexual harassment took place because the school administration allowed senior boys to reside with junior girls and boys in the same room.
The school came into the spotlight on Thursday when enraged over alleged incidents of sexual harassment of junior students by seniors; hundreds of people ransacked the premises of the school.
The school authorities at the private boarding school make all girls and boys, aged between 6 and 13 years, share rooms, which parents believe could be the reason for alleged cases of sexual harassment.
After being informed about the case by the police, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Praveen Mani Tripathi inspected the school. Talking to a Newspaper, he said inspection revealed that the students were made to sit and live in very unhygienic conditions, exposing them to the risk of contracting diseases.
“As per the records, the school only has recognition to conduct classes till eighth standard. It doesn’t have permission to run a boarding school. We have issued a notice to the school authority. Its recognition will be cancelled as basic norms have been violated,” he said.
Inspector of Bazarkhala police station Sujeet Dubey said so far the probe revealed that 29 students, including three girls, are enrolled in the school being run by staff comprising just four persons 73-year-old owner-cum-manager Bal Govind, his 68-year-old wife, a teacher and a cook.
Dubey said the classes were conducted in four rooms on the ground floor while the remaining five-six rooms were used as residence for the students, the manager and his wife. As many as four-five students share one room.
However, following the allegations of sexual harassment, the school authorities have handed over most of the students to their families. The parents of three-four students are yet to arrive to take them home.
“As per the records, the school only has recognition to run classes till eighth standard. It doesn’t have permission to run a boarding school. We have issued a notice to the school authority. Its recognition will be cancelled as basic norms have been violated,” –Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Praveen Mani Tripath
Inspector of Bazarkhala police station Sujeet Dubey said the girl has been sent for medical examination and further probe will be based on the basis of its findings. He further said the statements of the school authorities, staff and other children are yet to be recorded even as the manager claimed that the girl stopped coming to school since March.
The inspector said “In case of the boy’s death, medical records stated that he died due to high fever and low blood platelet count.” The boy’s body was buried before registration of the FIR.
He said legal experts are being consulted in the matter and if required the boy’s body will be exhumed for post-mortem examination. While no arrests have been made so far, the school staff has been told not to leave the city without police permission, added the inspector.
