Chandigarh, November 26 Two Class III students of DAV School in Sector 15 were injured in a melee that followed the arrival of Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut at the school today. One of the students started bleeding after a stone hit his head. The actor, who is an alumnus of the school, had come to attend the school’s annual function.
Though the school authorities had arranged for private security, stone pelting, hooting and hurling of abuses continued outside the school. Lack of security was apparent from the chaotic scene witnessed outside the school.
The bouncers at the gates prevented people from entering the school and an angry mob outside the school started hurling abuses and clashed with the police and private security persons by pelting stones and glass bottles.
The situation was getting out of hand. Anita Sharma, a harassed parent, was seen crying for help. “I want my son back, I don’t know where is he. Someone get my son back,” she was heard saying. Anita had managed to get inside the school but soon realised that her son was left outside among the crowd of people.
Another parent Susheel Kumar, whose children study in Class IX in the school, said, “It is a poor show and complete mismanagement on part of the school authorities. I got injured in the chaos but I was more worried about my wife. There are other girls and women who are stuck outside the school among the angry crowd but the officials are doing nothing.”
The angry crowd also damaged the poster of the Kalpana Chawla Memorial Trust that was put outside the school.
People, who had gathered in hundreds, were pushing the school gate in order to gain entry. Soon, the police started to hit people with their baton.
Vishaka, a Class XI student of the school, would not stop crying. She recounted her horrible experience: “A policeman hit me with his stick. He was not even looking before hitting people.” Her ankle got hurt and the student also complained of eve teasing.
Amit Sharma, who was accompanying his mother, said, “My mother had come to see her grandchildren perform but she got pushed and abused. I am thankful that she didn’t get hurt. But the experience was like a nightmare for us.”
We are not to be blamed: DAV-15 principal
School principal Rakesh Sachdeva said, “We had asked the parents and the students to come on time. Why are we being blamed for the chaos?” ASP Madhur Verma said, “The moment we were told about the crowd getting out of control, we sent the reserve force to handle the situation.”
Exam venue shifted
The school was also the venue for the entrance exam of MPhil for Prayag University, However, the school principal managed to get the venue shifted to Lala Lajpat Rai Bhavan in Sector 15 B at the last minute. The students were to appear for the exam in two batches. Though the first batch was able to give the exam, they were constantly disturbed by the loud music being played during the function. The harassment continued when the second batch of students came to know that the exam venue had been changed only after reaching the school. It was an all-India level exam and people from different cities had come for it.
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