Private schools allege harassment by police

Opposing the police move to impose a penalty on schools for not storing CCTV footage for a year, representatives of the private school management representatives submitted a memorandum to DG and IG of police Neelmani Raju on Wednesday.

The representatives requested her to advise officials not to harass the schools in the name of safety.

Associated Management for Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka that led the delegation said the move was necessitated after some of the police stations directed the private schools to keep the footage for one year. The officials were imposing the penalty on schools in the name of safety, the association alleged.

General secretary of the association D Shashi Kumar said: “In the name of safety and security, the police officers at the jurisdictional police station are harassing the schools. They are not issuing written orders, but are just giving oral instructions to schools, and insist to follow it.”

“If this continues, it will be difficult for us to run the show. If we have to keep the footage for a year, we need to spend at least Rs 25,000 every month. A majority of us are budget schools, and from where should we get the money?” Shashi Kumar asked.

The association also met the Home Minister M B Patil on Tuesday and submitted a representation.

“The home minister assured us of discussing the issue with the top officials at the police department,” he added.