Mumbai: Vile Parle school officials booked over picnics during lockdown

Shree Chandulal Nanavati Vinay Mandir School at Vile Parle

The police have registered a case against Vile Parle-based Shree Chandulal Nanavati Vinay Mandir school for taking its students on picnics in alleged violation of COVID-19 rules. In March, mid-day had reported the school's hill-station trips.

The case follows a complaint by activist Aftaab Siddhiqui, who had alleged that the school organised an outing for its students and staff to Lonavala, Panchgani and Silvassa when lockdown-like restrictions were in force in Mumbai.

The Santacruz police said the picnic was organised between January 28 and February 28. While the police had sought the details of the trips, the school authorities didn't immediately visit the police station citing pandemic conditions.

Sources said the school's coordinators Priti Kalpesh Modi and Bhavya Mayur Bandrekar met the cops on June 1 with the details. They said the trips were arranged with the permission of their principal.

The coordinators said that only the school staff went for a picnic at Lonavala on January 28. A trip to Silvassa was arranged between February 26 and 28 for the students who passed Std 10 last year. The school arranged another picnic for Std X students of the 2020-21 batch at Panchgani. Sources said the tours cost R6,000 for each student and the school paid half the price.

A police officer said the school did not take permission from the education department for any of the trips. "We also found that the tours were arranged by Sharukh Vasant Shroff who runs Avhenvar Tours at Nagpada. Shroff said school the principal told them to arrange the picnics and assured that they would follow all COVID rules," said the officer.

"We have registered the case against the Shree Chandulal Nanavati Vinay Mandir school authorities including principal Neelam Mulchandani and coordinators Priti Kalpesh Modi and Bhavya Mayur Bandrekar and other staff for violating Covid rules and guidelines. We have not arrested anyone yet," said Senior Inspector Dnyaneshwar Ramnath Ganore of Santacruz police station.

Complainant Siddhiqui said such trips by schools send out a wrong message. "I wonder how teachers agreed for the picnics when COVID was at its peak. Buses and tour operators passed checkposts without being questioned. As per ICSE rules, students' medical insurance is a must but I wonder if the policy was in place here."

Principal Mulchandani did not respond to calls and messages from mid-day.

03
No. of trips organised by the school