15 days after student's death, Goenka school reopens

A fortnight after the death of a Class IV student in its premises, the GD Goenka School in Indirapuram has finally reopened. The school authorities have also sent a mail to the parents regarding the safety measures they have recently introduced.

According to the school officials, the school had an almost 90 per cent attendance in most classes on Wednesday. Classes were conducted as usual, with no mention of Armaan Sehgal, the 10-year-old who lost his life in the school premises on August 1.

"The school has resumed as usual and parents have been assured that there will be no more holidays. We feel for the parents but it was an accident and the school had no part in it. Armaan will always remain in our hearts," Principal Kavita Sharma said.

Meanwhile, requesting anonymity, parents of some students in primary classes informed DNA that most classrooms now have two cameras installed. In addition, students have been given strict instructions to not run in the corridors or push each other.

"As promised by the Chairman in the meeting held on Saturday, more cameras have been installed on the campus and everything is being monitored properly," a parent said.

The school issued two messages — on August 13 and 14 — to inform parents about the tightened security measures and to tell them that if they had any concerns, they couldcontact the school directly.

"The school management has sent us an email, saying we can reach out to Chairman Ankur Malhotra directly. The mail is kind of an assurance, that our kids are safe in the school. The mail also stated that regular meetings between officials and parents association will be held," another parent, Vipul Mehta, said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a forensic team reached the school to collect new samples and to start a probe. "The passage and the classroom have been shut for the police toinvestigate the case," Sharma said.

On August 1, the Class IV student had died after falling in the second-floor corridor outside his classroom. His family accused the school authorities of negligence as the child's clothes were wet, probably due to water on the floor.

The Allahabad High Court has issued a stay on the arrest warrant issued against the school authorities, till August 28.

The incident

On August 1, a Class 4 student had died after falling in the second-floor corridor outside his classroom.
His family accused the school authorities of negligence as the child’s clothes were wet, probably due to water on the floor.
Allahabad High Court has issued a stay on the arrest warrant issued against the school authorities, till August 28.