The Authorities of the Narayana School at Jatiakhali here decided to keep the institution shut for two days from Tuesday following the fatal fall of a Class IX student from the second floor.
On Tuesday, a number of parents reached the institution and took away their wards from hostels.
“We are worried as our children stay at hostel. We need to know from the authorities whether it is all safe here,” said a parent who was seen standing at the entrance to the school.
The school has over 400 students from Class I to Class X and around 150 of them stay at hostels.
On Monday, Rishabh Arya and Rittik Kumar Singh of Class IX had fallen through a vacant window while they were pushing each other casually. The window’s iron grilles had been removed for repairs. Rishabh died soon, while Rittik is under treatment with multiple injuries.
“Maintenance works were going on at the school. The mechanic had kept the grills away as they had loosened. He had gone home to attend a family function without informing us that the bars were not there,” said Satyendra Yadav, a deputy general manager of Narayana Group that runs the school.
According to him, the group has 550 branches across the country.
“We have CCTV surveillance at each school. All the schools are kept under watch centrally from our head office to ensure the safety of students,” said Yadav.
The body of Rishabh, who hailed from Purnia in Bihar, was handed over to his family by police after post-mortem at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital here on Tuesday.
Representatives of the school have also gone to Purnia with the family, said sources.
Siliguri metropolitan police said they had not received any complaint against the school so far. “A case of an unnatural death has been registered after the incident. We are investigating it,” said an officer.
Sandipan Bhattacharya, the president of the Guardians’ Forum of North Bengal, said: “The administration should inspect all private schools to ensure that the buildings and other facilities are safe for children. Whatever happened on Tuesday indicates that the school did not bother to shift the students to another room even though there were no iron grills in one of the windows. The school should take all responsibility for the treatment of the injured student.”
