Mumbai: With two cases coming in light where minor girls were allegedly raped in the school premises in suburban Mumbai,  parents are demanding that there should be a set of rules where the installation of CCTV cameras should be mandatory with the live feed being streamed at the principal's and trustee's office, and the school staff should be careful with letting in outsiders at school hours.

Recently when a four-year-old girl was raped in a Malad-based ICSE school, the parents had demanded that there should be CCTV cameras installed in the premises, where the parents can access the footage if they have any issues related to security. Various parents in Mumbai said that the idea of sending their child to a school where there is even a slight chance of the kid being raped or sexually assaulted is like a sword hanging over their head for the whole time when the kid is in the school.  

Pooja Kothare, parent of a nine-year-old boy in a Powai school said, “The basic thing that as a parent that I would expect from the school faculty is to protect my child in the six hours that they attend school, and not let any outsider enter the premises during school hours. If my kids are not safe in the school, I would rather not send them there at all.” Another parent, Sanjana Dwivedi said, "It is very disturbing to know that young kids are not even safe in the school, which is considered to be one of the purest places. I am a working mother, and I cannot afford to sit at home and worry whether my child is safe or not

Dr Devika Kotibhaskar, a child psychologist said, “It doesn’t make much of a difference as the installation of CCTV cameras might not be new to them. In this age, they might even see one in their building corridors, and make faces at it. So more than being scared, they take it in a good sense.”

Fahad Zadiawala, an IT professional said that there should be CCTV cameras and the incident should be recorded in the CCTV cameras, where there is a proof to prove the person’s fault, and if not anything, there will be a fear of being caught in the camera if any thought crops up of that sort.

REASON FOR CCTV

cRC Chairperson Pravin Ghuge said, “The basic rule is to install the CCTV cameras to keep a tab on the security, and ensure that the children are protected from the evil inside the four walls of the school. The schools should allow the parents to access the CCTV footage from time to time if they have any queries about the steps taken for their security.”