Punjab and Haryana High Court issues notice to Punjab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 6

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice of motion to the state of Punjab on a petition seeking directions to hold an inquiry into the role and conduct of the school authorities, allegedly leading to the murder of a resident student of a “meritorious school of Punjab”.

Petitioner Tarsem Singh, through senior advocate RS Bains with advocate Loveneet Thakur, contended this was not the only incident of death of a meritorious student in a residential accommodation. Directions were also sought for setting up a committee to inquire into the causes and suggesting remedies to prevent such incidents at meritorious schools.

The Bench was told 10 meritorious schools were set up in 2014 under a government project to make quality education available to bright students scoring 80 per cent and above. The aim of these schools was to address financial issues of meritorious students. Intelligent students from the weaker section were provided accommodation, education, food and other facilities free of cost.

The petitioner’s son secured admission to senior secondary residential meritorious school in Mohali. In March 2020, he died under mysterious circumstances. It was told by the school administration that he had committed suicide. When the petitioner reached the hospital and saw the body, he found injuries.

It was found during the investigation that two classmates were bullying him. They physically assaulted the victim. When he fell unconscious, they made it look like a case of suicide. The body was located by a student. But the school administration did not immediately take him to a hospital. Rather, they took him to an ordinary medical store from where he was again brought back to the school.