ITANAGAR, 14 Dec: The Arunachal Pradesh State Human Rights Commission (APSHRC) has taken suo-moto cognisance of the news of the death of three students of St Alphonsa School in Model village, Naharlagun, due to the collapse of an overhead water tank in the school premises on Saturday.
The commission has directed the education commissioner to conduct safety audits of school buildings of all the government and private schools in Papum Pare district and the ICR, and submit the action taken report within a month.
Since two other students were also injured in the incident, it directed the commissioner to take immediate measures for providing proper medical treatment to the injured students and submit the action taken report, including details of the injuries received.
The commission directed the officer to take necessary penal actions against the authorities responsible for the incident within two weeks.
Additionally, the APSHRC directed the DGP to submit the action taken report regarding the matter within two weeks.
Meanwhile All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU)president Lezen Gyadi and his team visited the paediatric ward of the TRIHMS where the injured children are being treated.
Gyadi said, “The commercialisation of education curtails the principle of equality.” He expressed concern over the growing number of private schools, and said that the government schools should be streamlined to provide better education.
Gyadi said that “the ANSU team will soon be seizing the school’s licence,” and sought “scrutiny and surveillance in the case.”
The ANSU in a press release also expressed serious concern over the incident.
“The tragic incident clearly displays the complete violation of safety norms
in school compounds,” it said, and appealed to the authorities concerned to ensure strict implementation of safety norms in all private schools in the state.
“Further, licences of all private schools running without following safety norms and other necessary criteria must be cancelled at the earliest, so that such unfortunate incidents don’t occur in the future,” the release said.
The union urged the police to conduct a thorough, fair and impartial investigation into the case.
Further, the union appealed to the state government to grant immediate ex gratia relief to the next of kin of the deceased students and financial assistance to the two injured students.
