BJP should explain what relationship Education Minister Ashish Sood has with Apeejay School?: Saurabh Bharadwaj (TIN)
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has raised sharp questions after the principal and manager of Apeejay School were found at Education Minister Ashish Sood’s residence late Monday night with students’ admit cards in hand. Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj asked the BJP to clarify what relationship Ashish Sood has with the school, noting that issuing admit cards is solely the school’s responsibility.
The AAP Delhi State Chief asked why were the principal and manager sitting at the Education Minister’s house with admit cards instead of giving them to students. He added that Ashish Sood, who calls himself the guardian of 18 lakh million children, should have filed an FIR against the school for withholding admit cards if he truly stood with students. Instead, he said, the government lacked the courage to act.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters on Tuesday along with MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar, AAP Delhi State Chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the same Apeejay School principal and manager, against whom AAP had staged a protest outside the school throughout Monday, were found hiding at BJP minister Ashish Sood’s residence.
“What exactly is the relationship between Ashish Sood and the Apeejay School principal? Are they relatives or friends? Issuing admit cards is the school’s duty, yet the principal was sitting at the minister’s house with them. Why were they there?,” Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned.
The AAP Delhi Unit President emphasised that the Class 10 board examination was scheduled for Tuesday, and from Monday morning until 9:00 PM, Apeejay School blackmailed parents in front of the police. “The school clearly stated that admit cards would only be issued if the increased fees were paid; otherwise, they would not be given,” he said.
He continued, “For parents, fighting over school fees is extremely difficult because children are involved. Parents can fight their own battles, but they cannot fight their children’s battles, as children are harassed at school.”
Citing the example of DPS Dwarka, Saurabh Bharadwaj said that even there, young children were not allowed to sit in their classrooms. “They were made to sit in the library daily, harassed, and humiliated in front of other students as being incompetent because their parents had not paid the fees,” he stated.
The AAP Delhi State Chief added, “They were told to leave the classroom. Bouncers were stationed outside the school. Ashish Sood has not yet shown the courage to file an FIR against DPS Dwarka despite court orders. Those children were publicly harassed, yet when a question was raised in the Assembly, the reply stated that no FIR had been registered so far.”
Targeting Ashish Sood, Saurabh Bharadwaj said that Ashish Sood claims to be the guardian of 18 lakh children in Delhi. “Such a guardian is disgraceful if a Class 10 daughter has her mathematics exam the next day and at 9:00 PM she and her father are still standing outside the school wondering whether she will receive her admit card,” he asserted.
The senior AAP leader strongly questioned, “Who will prepare for the exam? Will Ashish Sood do it, or will BJP Chief Minister Rekha Gupta write the math paper on her behalf?”
He said it is shameless for Ashish Sood to call himself the guardian of 18 lakh children. “If he truly were a guardian, he would have reprimanded the Apeejay School principal on the spot for daring to withhold admit cards a day before the exam. Instead, Ashish Sood was sitting with the Apeejay School manager and principal. Why has he not yet filed an FIR against the school?” he added.
He further stated that anyone who emotionally and mentally tortures a Class 10 girl by harassing her falls directly under provisions for an FIR under the Juvenile Justice Act. “Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act prescribes punishment for cruelty towards children. This section covers any act that causes mental or physical suffering to a child. Withholding admit cards right before an examination legally amounts to mental harassment and cruelty. This is a clear legal provision, yet why has Ashish Sood not filed an FIR? Has he lost his courage?” He questioned.
The AAP Delhi State President said that parents had written not once but dozens of letters to the Director of Education stating that children’s admit cards were being withheld. “The Deputy Director (South) and the Education Secretary were repeatedly informed, yet no action was taken. The real issue in this dispute is that parents are willing to pay the fees approved by the government, whereas the school wants to charge the fees it demands,” he added.
He further said, “Parents sent dozens of cheques for the legally approved fees to Apeejay School. These cheques were sent directly and also through the District Magistrate (South). Each time the cheques were sent, the Director of Education and Education Secretary were copied in every letter.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Ashish Sood claims he was unaware. Even if we assume he was unaware, after such a major issue came to light, why has he not taken action against the Deputy Director or the Director of Education?”
“They should have been suspended by now. This clearly means that Ashish Sood, the Director of Education, the Deputy Director (South), and the Apeejay School management are all colluding. They are united and collectively harassing students,” he continued.
During this, Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha said that on Monday that AAP had staged a sit-in outside Apeejay School for those children and had spoken with the principal. “At that time, the principal said his hands were tied. He said that if he received a call from ‘above,’ he would issue the admit cards, but until instructions came from above, he could do nothing. At that moment, it was unclear who this ‘higher authority’ was,” he highlighted.
Sanjeev Jha said that when they saw a photograph of the school principal with Ashish Sood, it became clear that the “higher authority” was Ashish Sood’s Delhi government. “It is now evident that in this matter, Ashish Sood’s government is just as responsible as Apeejay School. Both are equally guilty,” he added.
Sanjeev Jha further said, “Apeejay School’s confidence stems from the fact that the ‘higher authority’ is aligned with them. If that is the case, who can challenge them? When admit cards were finally issued, the Apeejay School principal and manager were sitting with Ashish Sood.
The AAP MLA further said that the Delhi Education Minister does not have the courage to directly call the school and instruct it to issue admit cards a day before the examination. “In a government that protects such mafias, how can justice be expected? Today, the arbitrary actions of private schools continue only because they are being protected by the government, and the consequences are being borne by parents and children,” he said.
Expressing concern over the children’s mental state, Sanjeev Jha said one should think about the mental agony of those children who had an exam the next day but had not received their admit cards until 9 PM. “Who will compensate for their loss?” he questioned and said, “May no one ever have a guardian like Ashish Sood. AAP hopes that no child will have to endure such mental suffering in the future. However far this fight must go, we will continue to fight together.”
Meanwhile, Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar said that everyone witnessed what happened on Monday. Under the leadership of Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj, they remained outside the school from 11:00 AM until 11:00 PM. They had resolved that they would not leave until the children received their admit cards. No matter how much pressure Ashish Sood and the BJP applied, in the end they had to issue the admit cards.
Kuldeep Kumar reiterated that the most shocking part was that the same principal they had met at the school was later found at Ashish Sood’s house Monday night. “At the school, the principal had said his hands were tied and that if he received a call from ‘above,’ he would issue the admit cards,” he said.
Kuldeep Kumar asserted, “This clearly means that the children were harassed at the behest of Ashish Sood’s government and were given their admit cards only eight hours before the exam. What benefit did that bring them?”
Kuldeep Kumar rejected Ashish Sood’s claim that he was unaware of the matter. He stated that as early as February 15, media reports had already presented Saurabh Bharadwaj’s position on how children were being blackmailed over fees and their admit cards withheld. “It was also clear in the media that the Delhi BJP and the Education Minister’s office had not responded to any of the allegations. The media had contacted them, but they gave no response,” he said.
Kuldeep Kumar further stated this clearly indicates that the matter was within Ashish Sood’s knowledge. “By February 14, he was fully aware of everything, yet he falsely claimed ignorance. If Apeejay School was engaging in such hooliganism, authoritarianism, and bullying, it had the full backing of Ashish Sood’s government,” he said.
Kuldeep Kumar concluded by asserting, “Both worked together to harass the children, but in the end, truth prevailed, and due to Aam Aadmi Party’s struggle, they were forced to relent and the children received their admit cards.”
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