Bengaluru rape case: Vibgyor reopening; parents divided

Bengaluru: Confusion over the reopening of the Vibgyor school continued as parents are divided over sending their children to school as the school authorities are yet to implement their demands. Meanwhile, the parents have organised a protest in front of Town Hall in the city on Sunday urging the police to hold a comprehensive investigation.

According to the decision taken at the meeting between the school management, officials from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and parents’ representatives, it was decided to reopen the school from Monday.

According to the revised time table, classes for students between grade 5 to 10 will commence on Monday. An Eid holiday will be on Tuesday. On Wednesday June 30, classes for grade 1 to 4 will resume while classes for nursery to senior KG will resume on Friday.

But now many parents have decided not to honour the decision taken at the meeting, stating that the school authorities are yet to implement their demands and also their concern regarding the continuation of service of a few senior officials who would seek revenge.

A parent informed us that there are a lot of unresolved issues and a few outsiders are misleading the agitators. "The school has to initiate action against the teachers and authorities who allegedly tried to hush up the case. Also, there has been no clear evidence, about the initiatives launched by the school to ensure normalcy. So we are afraid to send our children to school," he said.

Exam tension

Meanwhile, parents whose children are studying in class X want immediate action to reopen the school. The mother of a student said, that when we urged for immediate reopening of
the school, we were dubbed as the agents of the management. "But my child is studying in the class X. This year he has board exams. I am nurturing a lot of dreams. I don't want these dreams to shatter at this juncture. I want immediate action from the state government. It can take over the school," she said.

Another complaint

Petitioner not reachable.

The Karnataka Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KCPCR) has received another complaint over an alleged sexual harassment in the same school.

Mr. Umesh Aradhya, Chairman, KCPCR said, that he received a call from an anonymous woman on July 18, saying her daughter also underwent a similar problem in the school. I told her to register a complaint and would protect the identity of the child and the family. I reassured her that I would visit her at her home the next day at 11 AM to collect the details. 

"But when I called her the next day, I got a message saying the number was not reachable. When I enquired with the school authorities they said that no such incidents were reported in the past and it is an attempt to tarnish the image of the school," said Mr. Aradhya.

City Police Issue Guidelines for Safety of school children

After the rape of a six-year-old in Vibgyor High, the city police have issued 11 guidelines to be implemented by all schools by the end of August. The guidelines have been issued under the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, and schools that do not implement them will be prosecuted under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (negligence leading to injury or death of a person), said City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi.

Vibgyor High, where the six-year-old was raped by a skating instructor, has been given time till August 14 to implement the guidelines.

Some of the important guidelines are:

Schools have to compulsorily install GPS and CCTVs in all school buses and CCTVs on school premises

School authorities must appoint Floor Vigilance Officers.

After dropping the children to school, the bus drivers and attendants must be isolated from the children.

Only authorised people should be allowed on the school premises. Schools must issue identity cards to parents, who pick up and drop their wards.

In case parents with identity cards cannot come to pick up their wards, they must compulsorily inform the school teacher concerned through the SMS, besides authorising
someone else to pick up their child.