School sets up probe panel

The school management of Suncity World School announced on Saturday to set up an ombudsmen panel comprising people from administrative jurisprudence, law, education and child welfare to probe the molestation of the 8-year-old girl.

The panel includes Amod Kanth, a police administrator and founder of an NGO, Prayaas, that works for child rights; Dr Kavita Sharma, principal of Hindu College, University of Delhi, and director, India International Centre, New Delhi. The other panelists include AN Tiwari, a civil servant, former secretary DoPT, and former Chief Information Commissioner of India; Bishwajit Bhattacharyya, senior advocate of the Supreme Court and former Additional Solicitor-General of India.

The panel has been requested to table the report to the managing committee of the school within the next 15 working days. The panel’s first meeting will be held at the school on May 27.

“The school principal, Rupa Chakravarty, and the agency from where the two maids were hired will also take part in the meeting,” said Ankit Goyal, vice-chairman of the school.

Asked about the parents’ demand of sacking the principal, Goyal said a decision to this effect would be taken after the panel tabled the report.

However, the parents of the victim have rejected the formation of a panel saying “Our daughter should not be subjected to more probe as she may slip into depression. She has suffered a lot by going to police stations and the court.”

On the other hand, the school management justified the decision saying the school reputation’s was at stake and an independent panel would conduct a neutral probe and that the victim may not be questioned for the same.

The victim’s father said the psychotherapists at Artemis, where the girl is undergoing treatment, had stated that the child should not be subjected to memories of the incident.