26/11 witness says school denying her admission
Mumbai: Devika Rotawan, the 10-year-old girl who is the youngest eye-witness of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is being denied admission in a Mumbai school.
The school managed by Indian Education Society reportedly denied admission to Devika because she had testified against Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab. Devika, who was praised by the 26/11 special court for her courage wanted to study and join the police force but is now upset at being denied a chance to do so. She and her family claim that the New EnglishSchool told them that they could not give her admission to avoid becoming a terror target in future. "I wanted to become a police officer and finish terrorism but I am not being allowed to study. Why am I being denied the right to education?" asked Devika.
I have been to the school many times and they always told me that they will give admission to my daughter. Today, when I went there they said that they can't give her admission. I want to know why? Just because she deposed against Kasab! I don't know why they're so scared," said her father Natwarlal Rotawan.
However, Indian Education Society's New English Secondary School Principal BM Hajari denied that Devika had been denied admission.
"We did not deny admission to the girl on the basis of what she has claimed. She has been denied as there are no vacancies in the school. We are a reputed school why we would do such a thing," Hajari told CNN-IBN.
Indian Education Society's honourary secretary Amol Damdare said that they would "try to support the girl" and asked the Maharashtra Education Department to help in the girl's education.
"We have not denied her admission. The problem is that her father wanted her to be admitted to class 5. When the principal met her the girl asked her to speak in Hindi. When the principal asked her till what class had she studied, the girl replied that she had studied till class 1. The girl does not understand English so the principal told her father to get her admitted to a Hindi medium school and come again foradmission after she had learnt English," said Damdare.
"The Kasab case is two years old. She does not know English. The principal told her father to come next year after the girl has learnt some English. We salute the girl and whatever she has done," he added while denying allegations that Devika was denied admission as she had testified against Kasab.
Maharashtra Chief Secretary JP Dange assured that all help would be given to Devika for her education.
"We will take necessary action against the school. We will ask concerned department to look into this. We will ensure admission to child which is her Fundamental Right," said Dange.
Devika, who was shot in her right leg by Kasab at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on the night of November 26, 2008, was a crucial witness in the 26/11 trial that eventually got Kasab a death sentence.
A group of 10 Pakistani terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba group had attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008 and held the city to ransom for nearly 60 hours killing 166 people and injuring over 200 other.
Kasab was the only terrorist caught alive while the others were killed during gunbattle with the security forces.
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