Fire in AC at Ahmedabad’s Shanti Asiatic School; attempt to pass it off as mock drill

Even as people of Gujarat are still trying to get over the child safety concerns raised by Vadodara’s Harni boat incident and Rajkot fire tragedy, it has come to light that an alleged attempt was made at Shanti Asiatic School, a high-end school in Shela, Ahmedabad, to pass off a fire incident as a mock drill.

When parents of students came to know of the incident, they rushed to the school and protested over the lack of safety standards at the school.

According to the parents, after smoke started emanating from the AC of a classroom, there was panic among the students, after which they were shifted to the assembly hall.

The incident took place on the second floor and basement of the school on July 11, and the spots which had turned black due to the fire have been painted, the parents have alleged. An emergency exit board has also come up after this incident.

The parents have accused the school management of trying to pass off the entire incident as a mock drill. They allege that they were not informed about any such mock drill.

“They are saying that there were only sparks. If that was the case, there would not have been so much smoke. The school management should not only think about their business, but also the safety of the children. We do not send our children to your school to die,” an irate parent alleged, accusing the teachers of lying.