A deadly act of student violence, conflicting accounts of institutional response, and mounting public anger have culminated in the state government taking over the administration of Seventh-day Adventist Higher Secondary School in Maninagar.
The unprecedented takeover has taken place nearly four months after its student Nayan Girishkumar Santani was fatally stabbed by a school mate. Serious regulatory lapses came under scrutiny following the incident.
The takeover was formalised through a government notification. The school is partially affiliated with a different education board. The administrative transition is expected to take effect today.
According to reports, letters issued by the state education department to the Ahmedabad District Education Officer (DEO) and senior officials of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) stated that a probe had been ordered into alleged discrepancies at the institution.
An October report submitted by the DEO flagged several issues, including unauthorised addition of classes, the absence of clarity regarding the trust or society running the school, unverified minority-run status, inconsistencies between the trust allotted the land and the entity managing the school, and the lack of Building Use (BU) permission for the campus.
Mukesh Kumar, principal secretary of education for the state government, clarified that the administration of the school had been taken over. The Ahmedabad DEO had been appointed as the administrator, he mentioned.
He added that action would also be initiated against other schools found violating rules.
Ahmedabad DEO Rohit Chaudhary was quoted as saying that he had not encountered a similar takeover within the GSHSEB framework or among grant-in-aid schools. He reportedly assured that priority would be given to addressing student concerns and ensuring their welfare.
According to the resolution outlined in the official communication, it was decided that, in the interest of students, the DEO would function as the administrator, with the condition that no new admissions would be allowed. The Classes 11 and 12 sections registered with the GSHSEB would be taken over by the state government.
The letter, reports added, said that the private primary school would be taken over under the provisions of the Bombay Primary Education Rules, 1949. Primary, secondary, and higher secondary sections affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) would also come under state control.
That tragic day
The school, which caters to around 10,000 students from kindergarten to Class 12, came under intense scrutiny following the killing of Santani, a sophomore student.
Santani was allegedly stabbed by another teenage schoolmate after what police described as a 30–40 minute altercation that took place outside the school gates.
Police claimed that after being stabbed in the abdomen, Santani managed to return to the school campus injured and seeking help.
However, crucial time was lost as staff failed to provide immediate medical assistance. The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch alleged that school authorities did not take prompt life-saving action.
While police maintained that the altercation lasted nearly 40 minutes off campus, the school presented a different timeline.
Police claimed that nearly 20 minutes elapsed before the school contacted the 108-ambulance service. By the time an ambulance was dispatched, Santani’s mother had already arrived and took him to Sardar Patel Hospital in an autorickshaw.
Doctors carried out emergency surgery that lasted three hours. Santani, however, died early the next morning from hypovolemic shock. The postmortem showed a stab wound measuring 1.5 cm externally. The injury had cut a major abdominal artery, leading to 2.5 litres of internal bleeding.
As anger mounted, the Seventh-day Adventist Higher Secondary School released an official statement, denying negligence.
Outrage followed, with scores of people vandalising the campus during a memorial prayer for Santani. Several staff members were reportedly assaulted.
Following the incident, the school moved to online classes for over a month. Parents made representations requesting that the administrative takeover should not harm students or interrupt their education.
Also Read: More Trouble For Seventh Day School Of Ahmedabad https://www.vibesofindia.com/more-trouble-for-seventh-day-school-of-ahmedabad/
