Onus on schools to sensitise students to thwart kidnapping attempts: CM

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that though the police force has been alerted to keep vigilance over the possible incidents of kidnapping of school students, the heads of the schools and their managements should shoulder the responsibility of spreading awareness among students as regards the same.“The police have already given advisory note about such incidents as also the government has provided counsellors to the schools,” said Sawant.

Earlier, the BJP Poriem MLA Deviya Rane through a calling attention motion brought to the notice of the House the rise in the number of instances of attempts to kidnap children by trespassing into the school premises.She asked the CM, who also holds the Home portfolio, the steps the government intends to undertake to provide surveillance on school premises and isolated roads and to identify and punish the culprits.

Welcoming the suggestions from some MLAs that four-wheelers should not be allowed to have black films on their glasses, Sawant said that the police are already imposing fines on the owners of such vehicles. “However, henceforth I will direct them to remove such films from the glasses immediately,” he said.Sawant also said that it is incorrect to say there are increasing instances of attempt of kidnapping and trespassing in schools.He said police have taken several step for children ‘s safety, including patrolling through PCR vehicles, motorcycles, and on foot near educational institutions and other vulnerable places, and officers and beat staff have been directed to visit the schools and colleges regularly for redressing grievances, if any.

Other such measures include deploying of traffic police near schools and colleges during opening and closing times, and Emergency Response Support System, which is functional round the clock.