Diveagar tragedy fallout: Alandi academy sealed; coaching centres under civic scanner

The action comes a day after eight 16-year-old students associated with the academy drowned at Diveagar beach in Raigad district during an educational trip, prompting scrutiny of how private coaching institutes function and the safety arrangements they make for excursions involving minors.

PUNE: The Alandi Municipal Council sealed Winners Academy after a preliminary inquiry found that the coaching institute had allegedly been operating without the required municipal permission for nearly two years. Questions have also emerged regarding parental consent for the Diveagar trip.

Diveagar tragedy fallout: Alandi academy sealed; coaching centres under civic scanner

The action comes a day after eight 16-year-old students associated with the academy drowned at Diveagar beach in Raigad district during an educational trip, prompting scrutiny of how private coaching institutes function and the safety arrangements they make for excursions involving minors.

Alandi Municipal Council chief officer Madhav Khandekar, who ordered the sealing, said, “Winners Academy had been operating in Alandi for around two years without obtaining an official licence from the municipal council for its commercial or educational activities. A special inquiry committee is also being constituted to conduct a detailed inspection of all private coaching classes and educational institutions in the city.”

The committee will examine whether such institutions have valid municipal permissions and comply with mandatory safety requirements. It will also look into the arrangements made for students during educational trips.

“If private coaching classes, educational institutions or academies are found to be operating without valid licences or in violation of safety norms, legal action will be taken against them and they will be shut down,” Khandekar said.

The issue of parental consent has also come under scrutiny. The students had reportedly submitted a consent slip for the trip, raising questions about what information was provided to parents regarding the excursion, including the destination, itinerary and safety arrangements. Officials are expected to examine the consent documents as part of the inquiry.

The eight deceased students were Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Sumeet Bharat Ahire, Pranav Ramdas Bansode, Kaiwalya Satish Wasankar, Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Yash Kiran Wankhede, Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar and Kaustubh Sandeep Dond.

The students were part of a Winners Academy group that had travelled to the Konkan region. They drowned at Diveagar beach on Thursday after being swept away by strong sea currents.

The academy’s notice dated September 23 said it had organised an educational excursion for its Class 11 and 12 Science students on October 1. The itinerary listed Raigad Fort and Shrivardhan Beach as destinations. The trip fee was ₹2,000 per student and included round-trip bus travel, breakfast, lunch, dinner, ropeway charges, historical-site entry permits and activity charges.

The notice also stated that the academy had obtained written consent from parents or guardians before the students joined the trip. Students were instructed to follow disciplinary rules during the tour and carry their official academy identity cards.

The tragedy has sparked anger and concern in Alandi, with residents and parents questioning whether coaching institutes operating in the town are being adequately monitored and whether sufficient safeguards are in place when they organise trips for school-going students.

However, a parent of a student studying at the institute, requesting anonymity, said the academy should not be held solely responsible for the tragedy. “This is a sad and unfortunate incident. The institute can’t be solely blamed for the accident as the intention was to provide some relaxation to the students. The institute provides quality education at nominal charges. If it is shut, hundreds of students will suffer,” he said.

B S Narke, senior inspector at Alandi police station, said that the parents of the deceased students had not yet filed a complaint. “We have not received any complaint from any parents of the deceased so far. But, some parents of students studying at the institute have requested us to refrain from taking action against it as it would lead to study disruption.”

Winners Academy and Study Centre, Alandi, is a private coaching institute established in 2022. It offers courses for students from Classes V to X and Classes XI and XII, as well as preparation for competitive examinations such as JEE, CET and NEET.

The academy has around four to five branches, with its third branch in Alandi having operated for the past two years. There are over 3,000 students across its branches, according to web information.

Academy officials could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.