Uran alert: Many SoBo schools remain shut

Many schools in south Mumbai stayed shut on Friday after the police sounded a high alert after students in Uran, near Navi Mumbai, said that they spotted four to five armed men near the naval base

puja.pednekar@hindustantimes.com

The police carry out the the search operation at Uran in Navi Mumbai on Friday. (Bachchan Kumar/HT Photo)

Many schools in south Mumbai stayed shut on Friday after the police sounded a high alert after students in Uran, near Navi Mumbai, said that they spotted four to five armed men near the naval base.

Although the police did not ask the schools to declare a holiday, principals said that parents and the management had decided not to conduct classes.

Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort, was one of the first to inform parents about the holiday over a late night email , “School will remain closed tomorrow, Friday 23/09/2016, for security reasons,” the mail read.

Similarly, Alexandra Girls English Institution, located at the junction of CST and Fort, cancelled classes for Friday, after the police patrolled the area last night. “Our watchman informed us that the police were circling the neighbourhood and even approached him to discuss security measures,” said Freny Mehta, principal of the school.

The management was alarmed by this, especially since terrorists had passed by the school during the 2008 attacks. “Our school is situated on the main road and this makes it more vulnerable,” said Mehta. “Given what happened last time, our management didn’t want to take another risk.”

On the other hand, HVB Global Academy, Marine Lines, was forced to stay shut due to parental pressure. “I had called up the police and they had assured us that everything was fine but the parents were hesitant to send children to school on Friday,” said Chandrakanta Pathak, principal of the school.

Other schools in the neighbourhood such as JB Petit and Campion School remained open. “We had checked with the cops and they told us that we could keep our schools open,” said Paul Machado, principal, Campion School.