School where children of many corporate honchos study considers buying CCTV cameras, metal detectors after two nerve-wracking experiences. for now, teachers are checking students' bags every day
School where children of many corporate honchos study considers buying CCTV cameras, metal detectors after two nerve-wracking experiences. for now, teachers are checking students' bags every day
Barely a week after the Valentine's Day eve terror attack in the city, parents of children studying in the elite St Mary's in Camp got a circular from the school on safety norms.
And the school meant business. Since the German Bakery blast, school staffers have been coming in an hour-and-half early to check the bags of all the 2,400-odd students.
A source told MiD DAY that school authorities had to do this after unclaimed parcels were found on two occasions.
Bomb squad
On one of these occasions, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) was called in. A source in BDDS confirmed this to MiD DAY, and said the scare turned out to be a false alarm.
Senior Police Inspector Balkrishna Shinde of Lashkar police station, under whose jurisdiction the school falls, said all schools in his jurisdiction were told to step up security soon after terror came to the city on February 13.
"We have asked them to install security gadgets, including CCTV cameras, as most schools in this zone are elite ones," he said. Asked about the BDDS school visit, Shinde did not comment.
Speaking to MiD Day, a school source said the police had advised metal detectors at each of the five gates.
"A security company was consulted for inputs on the kind of detectors that could be bought and the costs involved. The expense is working out to Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh," the source said. "The expense is still being worked out, so in the meantime the teachers and other staff are scanning kids' bags."
This means that over the past month, the bags of the 2400-odd students of the school are being physically checked for suspicious objects every day by staffers.
Parents' reaction
MiD DAY confirmed this with four parents, who said they were aware their children's bags were being checked by school staff. A parent even said they were aware the school was considering revising the security system and installing CCTV cameras, besides other measures.
"There is no PTA (parent-teacher association) in this school, so we aren't in the loop as to what exactly happens, but we are aware of certain things," said the parent. "It is true that they found parcels and promptly informed the police. But the same day, the BDDS got eight other hoax calls, so the school decided to hush up things. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up and we are happy about it."
MiD DAY visited the school, and found the security was indeed tight, and no one except students and teachers were allowed to enter the premise. The ban on entry extended to parents as well.
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(With inputs from Kaumudi Gurjar)
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