From the ‘respectable positions’ held by the accused to the ‘cooperation extended’ by them to the investigation, the police have given perhaps the strangest of reasons to avoid arresting a few people.
The police team, which probed the alleged detention of 45 students by authorities of a private school at Panangadu over non-payment of fees, has come up with a charge sheet against the school administrator, the principal and vice principal under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. However, the charge sheet, submitted in the first class judicial magistrate court on July 4, also lists a number of reasons for not arresting the accused.
The accused were not arrested as they were living in high and respectable positions as teachers and were not involved in any other case.
The Panangad police has been accused of putting the case on the back burner despite parents of the affected students filing a complaint immediately after the incident on September 14 last year. A month later, the parents approached the City Police Commissioner, who then directed the Crime Branch to probe the complaint.
Based on the CB report, the commissioner directed the Panangad police to register an FIR and conduct a probe into the incident. As the police dragged their feet once again, the aggrieved parents approach the State Police Chief, who directed the District Police Chief to expedite the investigation.
