11, Jan 2016

Jan 11 2016 : Mirror (Mumbai)
Ankita Bhatkhande, Gagandeep Dhillon mirrorfeedback TWEETS @MumbaiMirror

CCTV cameras to be installed and extra security personnel deployed; parents say they fear for their kids
Two days after a ten-year-old girl was raped in a Dadar school, CCTV cameras will be installed and security person nel will be deployed at various spots on the premises. On Friday, the accused, Somnath Yadav, who worked for the caterer of the school canteen, and who was given the job of cleaning the school auditorium, raped a minor.The incident took place after a cultural event, when the girl was waiting for her parents and the attendant supposed to take care of the girl was busy with household chores.
The school principal said, “Administration is going to meet on Monday to discuss a concrete plan to ensure the safety of our students. After this shocking case, management has realised that a lax attitude cannot work. Security personnel will be deployed at each gate and in all major areas for 24 hours.“ The school has also decided to stop renting the school’s adjacent hall for weddings and other functions. “The accused was a part of the caterer’s group that was on the premises due to a function. The school management has decided to stop allowing access to any outside party or individuals to avoid such an untoward incident in the future,“ the principal added. Parents said they cannot dare to send their children to school until security measures are in place. “We will not send our kids to school until we get an explanation for the terrible lapse in security. We need assurances for the security of our children,“ said one parent Jayant Jain, president of forum for fairness in education, said, “We condemn this attitude of the school.They should not have waited for two days to take the necessary action. If these measures had been implemented earlier, this tragedy could have been avoided.“ The forum is now planning to write to the state education department to identify such erring schools where there are no safety measures in place.
Meanwhile, senior police inspector Ashok Jagdale of the Shivaji Park police station said that girl is under observation in the hospital. He said that the police would be writing to the school authorities regarding the negligence on their part and the alleged lapses which led to the incident. “However, we cannot disclose any development in our investigation as per the law. In cases related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the police are barred from making anything public and sharing details of the case.“