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Noida wall collapse case: Principal held, fresh FIR filed for running school illegally

Hindustan Times, Noida | ByTanmayee Tyagi, Noida
Dec 19, 2018 11:46 AM IST

Another FIR has been filed by the education department on Monday against the same accused for running the unauthorised school.

A day after a wall collapse in an unauthorised school killed two minor students and injured three others, the principal was arrested on Tuesday from Noida’s Sector-107. Six persons, including principal Sanjiv Jha of New KM Public school, were earlier booked in the case. The others are absconding.

Another FIR has been filed by the education department on Monday against the same accused for running the unauthorised school.

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“In August 2017, we had shut a similar unauthorised school at the same site. However, soon after they changed the name of the school and reopened it. We are hopeful that the accused will be arrested soon,” said basic education officer, Balmukund Prasad.

The administration has also approved a compensation of 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased students and the families are hopeful it will be transferred to them soon.

The incident occurred around 9.30 am on Monday in Salarpur village, while an exam was going on inside the school.

According to principal Jha’s statement, the victims were standing outside to either use the washroom or to drink water. Since he was busy inside the school as examinations were going on, he didn’t know the exact sequence of the event, said police officials.

Five children were trapped under the rubble of the boundary wall when it collapsed. All five had been rushed to nearby hospitals after they were extricated from the debris by the locals, the police and a team from NDRF.

Two of the students identified as Vivek Yadav (7) and Bhupendra Singh (11) died while three others were critically injured. One of the injured students was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday while the other two continue to recuperate.

According to police, construction work was in progress on the adjoining plot. The sand from the construction site was kept along the boundary wall of the school, which was about 10-feet high, and the weight of it allegedly weakened it thereby, leading to its collapse.

Police had registered an FIR against six persons, including the management of the school and the neighbour on whose plot the construction was taking place. The persons who have been booked are Amit and Sumit Bhati (owners), Deshraj Bhati (neighbouring plot owner), Sanjiv Jha (principal), Raghvendra Solanki (school manager) and the operator of the earthmover ( yet to be identified).

The FIR has been registered under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt) and Section 75 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Sector 49 police arrested Jha from home in sector 107. Jha was produced before a magistrate and later sent to jail.

“We are now on the lookout for the other accused who are absconding at the moment and we hope to nab them soon. We are working to trace their location using their phones,” said Swetabh Pandey, circle officer 3, Noida police.

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