Angry parents of Pradhuman question Ryan principal’s reinstatement

Gurugram, Oct 2 (IANS) The suspended principal of a Ryan International School, where a boy was found brutally murdered on September 8, has been reinstated in another of the group's schools, leaving the parents of the seven-year-old Pradhuman Thakur fuming.

Neerja Batra, the acting principal of Ryan International in Bhondsi, who was suspended for her negligence in the murder of Pradhuman, has now joined as a teacher in the Sector 40 school of the group.

"Why was Neerja Batra suspended if she was not guilty. If she was guilty then why has she been reappointed in the middle of the inquiry in the murder," questioned Barun Chandra Thakur, father of Pradhuman, while speaking to IANS on Monday.

"While Principal Batra was so irresponsible regarding her responsibility and duties, how will she fulfil her responsibilities now?"

Batra was reinstated on an order by Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.

Sushil K. Tekriwal, advocate for Thakur, told IANS that Pratap Singh's order was "totally illegal, unconstitutional and unfortunate. How can he grant clean chit to a suspended principal in such a hurry".

"DC Vinay Pratap Singh has been appointed administrator of the school by the Haryana government for just three months. He must be sacked for his decision. It seems that Singh is also part of a group involved in hatching a conspiracy to provide clean chit to the school management," Tekriwal added.

Pratap Singh, in the order, had said that after a discussion with stakeholders, he has decided to send Batra to the Ryan Group's Sector 40 branch.

The order said that since Batra had "highlighted deficiencies to Ryan management multiple times about the Sohna Road branch and had no financial powers, she has not been directly held responsible for the unfortunate incident" in preliminary inquiry.

Birbal Jha of NGO Mithilalok Foundation, fighting for justice to the murdered boy and his family, called the decision to give Batra clean chit "unfortunate."

Batra was officiating as the principal of Bhondsi school since April this year after then principal Rakhi Verma resigned.

Pradhuman was found dead with his throat slit inside the school's washroom on September 8 within an hour after his father dropped him at the school.

Police alleged that school bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, 42, killed him with a knife after the boy resisted an attempt to sodomise him.

While Kumar has been arrested, his parents and two other staffers claim he was being made a scapegoat.