In a surprise decision, the suspended acting principal of a Gurugram’s Ryan International School—where a boy was found dead with his throat slit inside the school’s washroom on September 8 within an hour after his father dropped him at the school—has been reinstated in another of the group’s school.
The decision to reinstate the acting principal has left the family of the seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur livid.
Neerja Batra, the acting principal of Ryan International in Bhondsi, who was suspended for her negligence in the murder of Pradyuman, has now joined as a teacher in the Sector 40 school of the group.
She was reinstated on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gurugram Vinay Pratap Singh, who is also the administrator of Ryan Internal School Bhondsi branch.
“Why was Batra suspended if she was not guilty. If she was guilty then why has she been reappointed in the middle of the enquiry in the murder,” asked a fuming Varun Chandra Thakur, father of Pradyuman. “While principal Batra was so irresponsible regarding her responsibility and duties, how will she fulfil her responsibilities nowIJ” Batra was reinstated,” said Thakur.
The DC, in the order, had said after a discussion with stakeholders, he has decided to send Batra to the Ryan Group's Sector 40 branch.
The order said since Batra had “highlighted deficiencies to Ryan management multiple times about the Sohna Road branch and had no financial powers, she has not been directly held responsible for the unfortunate incident” in preliminary inquiry.
Batra was officiating as the principal of Bhondsi school since April this year after then principal Rakhi Verma resigned.