As Mystery Around Armaan’s Death Continues, UP Human Rights Commission Seeks Report From Ghaziabad SSP [Read Notice]

The Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission has issued notice to the Senior Superintendent of Ghaziabad Police on a complaint of parents of Armaan Sehgal, the Class IV student of GD Goenka School, who had allegedly died after slipping in the school corridor, accusing the police and the school authorities of botching up the investigation into the mysterious death of their son.

“Keeping in view the nature of allegations made in the complaint, let a notice be issued to the senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad for his response in respect to the allegations made in the complaint within six weeks,” said the notice issued by UPHRC chairperson Justice S Rafat Alam.

The commission has called for a report by December 25.

Armaan Sehgal was a Class IV student of GD Goenka School at Ghaziabad's Indirapuram. On August 1, his father dropped him at the school at 7.50 am. The parents received a phone call sometime later about the incident. They rushed to Shanti Gopal hospital, but were told that Armaan was brought dead to the hospital. The documents show Armaan was brought to the hospital at 8 am.

School said Armaan had slipped in the corridor near his classroom and died.

A medical room staff said Armaan was also kept in the school's medical room for about 5 minutes. He was taken to the hospital in a teacher's car.

Armaan’s parents Swati and Gulshan Sehgal moved the UPHRC aggrieved by the manner in which the police and the school have been trying to cover up the truth and destroying evidence, while leaving many suspicious angles out of the purview of investigation.

Their plea for CBI probe is already pending before the Allahabad High Court.

Before the UPHRC, their counsel Gurmeet Singh prayed for direction to SHO, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh / Inspector General / SSP Uttar Pradesh, India, to direct fair and impartial probe in the present case and send a weekly updated status report to the commission.

He also sought police protection for the parents while alleging that they were threatened at gunpoint by the school authorities to take back their complaint.

They also sought general safety measures to be implemented by all schools.

The parents have been alleging foul play as they claim that his post- mortem report clearly indicates fracture of the base of skull and fracture of the nasal bone.

Gurmeet Singh stressed upon violation of human rights by the UP Police and the school authorities, continuous threats to innocent lives and gross abuse of power by the Ghaziabad police which, he said, was destroying the evidence rather than finding the truth.

Pointing out many angles which should have been probed by the police, the complaint says “the spectacles of the child was not broken/intact even after the alleged incident. This raises a very serious issue…The same needs to be investigated”.

The sharpener belonging to Armaan was found at the under-construction site in the school, which the parents said is an angle yet to be investigated but the police are turning a blind eye.

They have also brought to the Commission’s attention varying statements of students and teachers, where some claim Armaan fell to the ground right outside his classroom while some claim he fell off the staircase and yet others who say that he fell from the top floor of the school.

The complaint also prayed for general safety measures to be implemented in all schools, given the fact that the medical room in GD Goenka School did not have trained nurses, doctors and oxygen cylinders, while Armaan lay there gasping for breath before being rushed to the hospital in a teacher’s car since there was no ambulance.

“All schools must have a medical room which should be working and having good medical care / first aid facility to tackle any situation. All schools must have an ambulance available with a competent driver, available, without fail, during the entire working hours of the school,” it prayed.

Gurmeet Singh also prayed that all school buses must have at least one teacher and one maid / support staff in the bus to ensure safety and security of the students and it should be ensured that the under-construction area is completely off-guards for students and the school campus is secured against fatal falls.