GREATER NOIDA: A Class 7 student was allegedly locked inside the washroom for about an hour at Greater Noida located private school in Sector Beta-1 on Thursday, prompting her family to urge the Gautam Budh Nagar administration and education department for a probe into the incident.
According to the student’s father, a resident of Sector Beta 2, the incident took place during her lunch break, when the girl went to use the washroom on the school premises and someone allegedly locked the washroom’s door from outside, leaving her trapped inside.
“She could come out after around an hour when a school staff member, a nanny, opened the washroom door,” the father informed HT.
While expressing “gratitude” towards the school staff member who provided a timely assistance, he alleged that the “overall handling of the incident by the school authorities was insensitive and inadequate”.
The incident, he said, has left her mentally shaken and frightened and she did not attend school on Friday.
The father has also submitted written complaints to Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate and district basic shiksha adhikari (BSA), seeking an independent inquiry into the incident and action against those responsible.
In his complaints, he alleged serious lapses in supervision and safety arrangements within the school and demanded that CCTV footage be examined to establish how the student was locked inside the washroom for such a prolonged period. HT has accessed a copy of the filed complaint.
Education department officials told HT said that they were aware of the incident.
“We are aware of the incident that has been reported at the school in Sector Beta-1. However, no formal complaint has been received by our office so far. Once a complaint is received, the matter will be examined,” said district inspector of school (DIOS) Rajesh Singh.
The school authorities could not be reached for comment despite HT’s repeated attempts till the time of filing this report.