Minor girl student locked up in classroom in UP's Bulandshahr, staff suspended

Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) VK Sharma said the teachers had left the school for the local block level union elections while the headmaster, too, left early leaving the school peon behind, who also did not check the classroom.

Bulandshahr: In an instance of gross negligence, the staff at a composite school in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr locked a standard Class I girl student inside the classroom to rush to the local block level union elections thereby putting the life of the student at stake. The girl was unlocked by the villagers after hours of searches while the local education authorities suspended the entire staff at the school for negligence.

Locals said that the girl, who had fallen asleep, was locked inside the composite school at village Segadapir in the Gulavathi development block by the staff. When the girl did not reach home from school, the family members went out in search of her. When the family reached the school, they saw the girl locked inside the classroom and crying.

The villagers, including the family, took the girl out of the school by breaking the lock. The agitated villagers lodged a strong protest against the school authorities for gross negligence and questioned how could the staff put the life of the minor girl at stake like this. Police also reached the spot to take stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, the school's headmaster Reshpal also reached the spot and pacified the villagers while admitting the mistake of the staff. A video of the incident has also surfaced, in which the girl is seen locked in the classroom. Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) VK Sharma said he took notice of the incident. The entire staff comprising the headmaster besides two male and female teachers, two teaching assistants and others will be suspended, he said. Sharma informed that the teachers had left the school for the local block level union elections while the headmaster, too, left early leaving the school peon behind, who also did not check the classroom.

A similar incident had come to the fore in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal on September 22 when a seven-year-old girl was locked up in a school for more than 18 hours after the staff went home without checking if any child was left behind. The girl's maternal uncle said that when she did not return home after school on Tuesday, the girl's grandmother reached the school only to be told by the staff that there were no children left there. When the school opened the next day, it came to the light that the girl had remained locked in the school room overnight.