Gurugram school murder: Manohar Lal Khattar orders review of security in schools across state

New Delhi: Following the outrage over the death of a seven-year-old boy at a private school at Gurugram on Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday ordered a review and strengthening of security arrangements in schools across the state. “Additional chief secretary (ACS, education) has been asked to review the arrangements, including security, installation of CCTVs and facilities being provided in all the schools to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” he said. The Haryana chief minister, who was in New Delhi on Saturday, was asked to comment on the demand for a CBI probe in to the case by the victim’s family. [caption id=“attachment_4026315” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Demonstrators protest outside Ryan International School as they demand action against the school, in Gurugram on Saturday. PTI[/caption] “If all the facts of the case come to the fore then there is no need for any further investigation. But if we find facts are being concealed or we find something big may come out of this case, then we are ready for any kind of probe,” he said. Asked about alleged negligence on the part of the school, Khattar said the district education officer (DEO) had been asked to file a report as soon as possible. If any lapses were found on the security front by the school, strict action will be taken, strict action will be taken, he assured. The acting principal of the school has been suspended by its management, he said. Terming the incident as “heinous and unfortunate”, he said that those guilty will not be spared. The concerned authorities were asked to complete formalities in connection and file a challan within seven days, he said. “We will appeal to the court to give harsh punishment to the accused as early as possible,” he said. Patting the district administration for “acting swiftly” in this case, he said that the school bus conductor had been arrested. “Preliminary investigations reveal that the bus conductor was involved in the crime,” he said. He said that if lapses were found on the part of the security agency hired by the school action will be taken. He expressed sympathies towards the family of the child. The acting principal of Ryan International School was earlier suspended and all the security staff were removed, a day after a seven-year-old boy was found dead with his throat slit inside a washroom. The boy, a Class II student, was allegedly killed by a bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, who allegedly tried to sexually abuse the minor. Haryana PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh visited the family of the deceased in Bhondsi. Meanwhile, a Gurugram court on Saturday sent the accused Kumar to three-day police remand. Haryana education minister Ram Ram Bilas Sharma said that careless educational institutes would not be spared and stern action would be taken. Sharma said he would visit Gurugram to console the parents of deceased on 10 September and would also meet senior officers. He said that school managements should look at the behaviour of the drivers and conductors and ensure that the transport facility is safe.