KOLKATA: The GD Birla Centre for Education today said it will remain closed, even as angry guardians staged a sit-in dharna in front of the Tollygunj metro station here, in connection with the sexual assault of a four-year-old student in the school.
The school authorities, in a notice, said parents and all concerned are informed that both the junior and senior sections will remain closed from Monday.
The notice also said that the two physical training instructors, who were arrested yesterday for allegedly assaulting the child, have been 'removed from service', adding, guardians can contact the principal for any further intimation.
Meanwhile, the guardians of students of various schools demanded immediate police action against the principal, vice- principal and the class teacher for trying to suppress the incident.
"We are persuading them to lift the blockade and move to an auditorium where they can talk to the management representatives. Talks may not be possible on the road," said Deputy Commissioner, South Division of Kolkata Police, Rupesh Kumar.
A seven-member team of the Guardians' Forum, including the victims's father, later went to the Jadavpur Police station to file an FIR against the three, Subrata Saha, a member of the forum, said.
Reacting to the school's notice, Saha said, "This shows the vindictive attitude of the principal, who wants to break the Guardians' Forum. We are determined we will ensure full-proof security for our children." Guardians from some other well-known city schools also joined the protest, as they took out a rally from the G D Birla Centre for Education to Tollygunj, earlier in the day.
They had held a 16-hour protest yesterday till past midnight.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said, "The school auhorities should have taken into account that inducting male teachers in a girl's school may lead to such situations." The two PT instructors have been remanded in police custody for two days till Monday by a Kolkata court.
The accused PT instructors have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act which is non-bailable, a senior police official had said yesterday.
"They (the school) should have been more careful. They should not have appointed male PT teachers," Chatterjee added.