In the case of the suicide of a minor boy studying in class 5 at Safa Public School in Malihabad, Lucknow, the District Minority Welfare Department has joined the investigation. According to a report in Dainik Bhaskar, a team of officials from the Minority Welfare Department is expected to visit the school for inspection. The manager of the school Arshad Khan was allegedly running a madrasa in the premises of the CBSE-affiliated school.
A complaint was filed by Abdul Kuddus, the elder brother of the victim Altamash. Based on the complaint, a case has been filed by the Malihabad police against the principal of the school Anthony Thomas, manager Abdul Hafiz and others for abutment of suicide.
Initial inquiry reveals foreign funding to madrasa
As per the reports, initial inquiry into the matter revealed that the madrasa has been receiving funds from Gulf countries. A mosque is also found inside the school premises in which namaz is offered five times a day. The school has a hostel which is currently accommodating 43 students. According to locals, two years ago, the school held celebrations on the 14th of August (Independence Day of Pakistan) instead of the 15th of August (Indian Independence Day).
Several students withdrew admission from the school
Many parents protested against the school after the unfortunate incident. Amissions of many students have also withdrawn by their parents from the school. DCP West Vishwajeet Srivastav said that the investigation would proceed based on the postmortem report and the evidence. The police are recording the statements of the people connected with the incident.
Suicide of the student
The victim has been studying in the school for four years and was a hostel boarder. The warden of the hostel said that the victim went to his room in the hostel after dinner around 10:30 pm on Wednesday. The next morning, around 5:30 pm, he was found hanging in the bathroom by a student. The school administration said that the victim was caught smoking with his friends a few days ago and that he was warned that his family would be informed if he was found smoking again. The fear of his family finding out about the smoking incident might have pushed him to take the extreme step.
However, the victim’s elder brother accused the school administration of harassing the victim. He alleged that the victim was brutally beaten with sticks for minor mistakes. He added that the school administration is falsely accusing the victim of smoking to avoid accountability.
