A large number of parents met the school management on Thursday to express their concerns regarding the safety of their children.
They were furious that such an incident had occurred despite several safety guidelines being put in place and demanded that the school take responsibility for the incident. Neeraj Agarwal, a parent, said, “The school should have been more alert after the rape incident was reported in a school in Marathahalli this July. As a parent, I am responsible for my child’s safety at home and it is the school’s responsibility to ensure my child’s safety in their premises.”
He pointed out that installing CCTV cameras does not ensure children’s safety as there is no one to continuously monitor them.
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Police sources said that of the 20 CCTV cameras installed in the campus, 16 were functional.
“The school admitted that there was no dedicated person to monitor the CCTV cameras installed on the premises,” said Kapil Suri, another parent.
School chairman Venkat Narayan took full responsibility for the incident. “There were lapses. We need to identify lapses and look at what extra precautions need to be taken. The top priority is children’s safety,” he said.
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The management stated that principal Anuradha Prabhakar had left a month ago following which the dean was doubling up as the principal. However, parents said they were not informed and claimed that the school had not been transparent with their processes.
Meanwhile, groups of people gathered in front of the school gates and raised their voices against the rape. A few damaged boards outside the school. Parents met school authorities on Wednesday too, but the principal and chairman were absent.
Suo motu case The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken up a suo motu case against the international school and issued a notice to Jalahalli police seeking details. KSCPCR chairperson Umesh Aradhya said that a notice will be issued to the school management as well.