Ahmedabad School Faces Closure Amid Fire Incident Cover-Up Allegations

Ahmedabad's Shanti Asiatic School is ordered to shut its campus temporarily after allegations by parents that the management tried to cover up a minor fire as a 'mock drill'. An inquiry has been initiated, and the District Education Officer confirmed negligence, stressing strict action will follow based on probe results.

The authorities in Gujarat's Ahmedabad have ordered a private school to shut its campus and initiated an inquiry after parents alleged that the management tried to hide a fire on its premises by terming it as a ''mock drill'', an official said on Friday.

The school authorities claimed that the blaze, which erupted on Thursday, was minor and extinguished within five minutes. However, parents alleged that the management called it a ''mock drill'' when they inquired after learning about their children's ordeal.

District Education Officer (Rural) Krupa Jha, upon learning about the protest by parents at Shanti Asiatic School in the Bopal area, reached the spot and ordered an inquiry into the allegations. 'Prima facie, we found negligence on the school's part. We will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident and a safety audit to ensure the building is safe for children. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty after the probe,' Jha stated. The school premises will remain shut for students until the investigation is concluded, with classes conducted online during this period.

State Education Minister Kuber Dindor is in touch with the local authorities and assured that all necessary steps will be taken, according to officials. On Friday morning, several parents rushed to the school and alleged that though a fire and resultant smoke were on the premises on Thursday afternoon, the management claimed the evacuation of students was part of a ''mock drill''. 'The CCTV footage clearly shows a fire in an air conditioning unit in a room in the basement where students gather for activity. Our children were evacuated by teachers following smoke on the premises. However, when we inquired, the management told us that it was a mock drill and there was no such incident,' an angry parent said.

Another parent claimed that the school management had immediately painted the room and changed the switchboard to cover up the incident and mislead parents and officials. Meanwhile, school director Abhay Ghosh insisted that the fire was minor and was put out within five minutes. 'We are not hiding anything. Our trained staff immediately took control of the situation. It was not a major fire. The smoke was more than the actual fire. There was a miscommunication from someone that it was a mock drill. If parents feel we were hiding something, we are ready to apologize,' Ghosh said.