‘Teachers forced kids to go on Panchgani trip’

Several parents of students from Gopal Sharma Memorial High School, Powai, are now crying foul, alleging that the school forced the kids to go on the fateful Panchgani trip in which 14-year-old Tanushree Hegde died and four others were injured.

“The school literally forced the students to go on this trip, and charged Rs 3500 each for it. The teachers would come to the school, and humiliate and ridicule the children who had not signed up. They even told the kids to throw tantrums at home and force their parents to send them on the trip,” said one parent, on the condition of anonymity,

The school principal, Gool Ghadiali, denied the charges. “Our teachers are responsible people and did not humiliate any student. In fact, around 10 to 15 students did not even come for the trip,” he said.

Another parent said that the tour operators had hired around 20 horse carts on which the children would ride and sightsee, despite the fact that the carts were illegal. “The government has banned the use of horse carts in Panchgani to avoid such mishaps. Why did the school allow the tour operators to hire them?  They should have thought of the children’s safety and organised something safer,” she said.

Speaking about the accident, Ghadiali said, “We immediately rushed with our trustee to the accident spot, and ensured that all the students who were injured got medical attention. The students and teachers who were on the trip will receive trauma counseling to help them overcome this incident.”