NEW DELHI: The East Delhi civic body has suspended the principal and a teacher, and terminated the services of contractual staff of a Bhajanpura school where two girls were allegedly molested by a man a few days ago, mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said on Friday.
“No lapse will be tolerated when it comes to the safety and security of children. No matter how big the stature of an official, action will be taken. We have acted swiftly against the guilty after probing the incident,” the mayor was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the EDMC.
Official orders pertaining to these actions were issued on May 5, the mayor said, and shared copies of the order. “There are 354 schools under EDMC. Through this action, we also want to warn others that no laxity will be tolerated,” the mayor said. Asked if the issue of guards and CCTV cameras will be addressed, Aggarwal said, “We are already cash-strapped, and we can’t afford to have guards posted round-the-clock. If we get our due funds from the Delhi government, we will do it”.
On April 30, a man had allegedly entered a classroom of the civic body-run school and sexually assaulted two eight-year-old girls. Based on a sketch of the accused, a man has been detained on suspicion. “The principal of the school and a teacher have been suspended, and the services of a contractual teacher, to whom the matter was first reported, have been terminated,” Aggarwal said.
Besides, a “show-cause notice” has been issued to a teacher and a school inspector, and a “stern warning” given to the zonal deputy director of the EDMC’s education department, he said.