Patna SSP Alok Kumar (left) at the meeting with police and school authorities on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Aug. 9: Schools in the city have been issued a fresh set of directives by police to provide adequate security cover to students who have become easy targets for criminal gangs.

The guidelines come three days after a brother-sister duo studying at Christ Church Diocesan School was abducted by one Riazul Haque, who needed money for admission at a medical college. The children were recovered by the Muzaffarpur railway police hours after they were kidnapped, but the incident has shaken up the police administration.

Patna senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar today said all private schools in the city needed to install at least two CCTV cameras at the entry and exit gates of the school.

At a meeting with school authorities today, Kumar said that apart from installing the cameras, the institutions needed to ensure that each of their buses displayed the contact number of the local police station as well as those of the police control room in a bid to stop incidents of eve-teasing.

On Monday, the state police headquarters had revived its 2007 order asking all schools, both public and private, to have two sets of identity cards, one belonging to the students and the other for the parents.

“These are security precautions which the schools should follow and can be said to be directives. School children need to be protected. All schools need to ensure that they have two high-resolution CCTV cameras at the entry and exit gates which will monitor all activities in and around the campus. Apart from the issuance of two sets of identity cards as directed by the headquarters, the schools should also take one step forward,” the SSP said.

School authorities need to ask the parents to provide them with pictures of the persons, other than themselves, who could pick up their children, he added.

“Many a time it happens that both the father and mother are working and their children need to be picked up from school. In that case, it is either a relative or a servant who comes to the school. The parents should have a picture clicked of such persons with their child. When any of them come to pick up the child, he or she should have the picture. The school authorities first need to check the picture and then hand over the student,” the officer said.

The police also want to come down hard on eve-teasing.

“Recently, a bus carrying students of St Joseph’s School, who were on way to Rajgir on an excursion, was followed by a group of bikers until the destination. Each of the buses should display the contact number of the local police station as well as that of the police control. In case of such incidents, one can just call up the police and help will be on its way,” the officer said.

In Patna, many students travel to and from school in auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. “We have found that the drivers often change and this could be a potential threat. It is the responsibility of the schools to take down the details of all auto-drivers and pass them on to the local police station for verification. In case the driver is changed, the parents should inform the school for necessary correction,” Kumar said.

Schools are, however, diffident about the directives.

D.K. Singh, the chairman of Bihar Public School and Children Welfare Association, said the role of the police in protecting students had been minimal.

“Earlier this year, the police had announced that a team would be present near the school gates to manage the traffic. But that has not been followed. Installation of CCTV cameras will not help much as nothing literally happens inside the campus,” he said.

The Telegraph today visited some schools when they got over and found there was no police presence in and around the area.

Peter Arockiasamy, the principal of St Michael’s High School, said the directives would add to the pressure on the institutions.

“There is a cost involved in the installation of CCTV cameras. The administration should understand that giving suggestions is easy. The question is who will be paying for these expenses? Moreover, schools have always been in the line of fire. If a teacher even scolds a student now, it leads to a furore. It is indeed a tedious task for school authorities to check so many identity cards and pictures. Many schools have more than two gates. I don’t think these moves are practical,” he said.

A.G. De Rosario, the director of Don Bosco Academy, welcomed the move. “The meeting was quite fruitful. We have already introduced the system of dual identity cards and do have CCTV cameras installed. It will lead to protection of the students,” he said.

Parents also welcomed the step.

“The kidnapping incident of August 6 was shocking and frightful. The new steps taken by the police are welcome. The schools should not shy away from them. The security of our children comes first. The only concern is about implementation of these directives. The police should ensure that the schools are following them,” said Rashmi Sinha, a parent whose daughter studies at Mount Carmel School.