College says it took parents' consent for tour

Management of the city-based engineering college, whose 24 students were washed away in gushing dam waters in Himachal Pradesh while on a study tour, on Monday said it had obtained consent from all parents concerned for the trip, which ended in a tragedy.

A group of 48 students of VNG Vijgana Jyothy Engineering College, along with three faculty members, were on a study tour when 24 of the pupils were washed away on Sunday evening when they were clicking pictures on the banks of river Beas in the hill state.

According to C Kiran Mai, vice-principal of the private institute, the college had obtained consent from the parents of all students for the study tour which was part of their curriculum for the 2nd year B Tech course (Electronics and Instrumentation). 

The group, along with faculty members, had left for Himachal Pradesh on June 3 for a ten-day industrial study tour.

“We had taken consent for the tour from parents of the students. The tour was part of their curriculum,” Kiran Mai said on Monday, amid allegations by some parents that the college management did not inform them about the tour.