Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 10 : Doon International School Principal Dinesh Barthwal on Tuesday rejected reports claiming that a Class 11 student was kidnapped outside the school, calling them "misleading and inaccurate".
Speaking to ANI, Barthwal said the school had verified the matter internally and found no truth in the claims.
"Today we received news of a case that has allegedly happened within or outside our school. I completely deny it. Our school is fully equipped with CCTV cameras, and the activities of every student and staff member are recorded. After reviewing the information, we have concluded that the news is misleading and inaccurate. As the school principal, I completely refute this news," Barthwal said.
He further stated that the school administration had issued a formal denial letter to the newspaper editor and senior police officials. Barthwal also urged the media to verify information with the school administration before publishing reports related to such incidents.
"Since this news was published in a newspaper, the school administration has sent a denial letter to the newspaper editor and the SSP. We will take whatever action we deem necessary. We have clearly requested in our letter that, if they receive any information about such an incident in the future, they contact the principal or me. Without checking the truth from the school administration, no misleading news should be published which may tarnish the reputation of this school," he added.
Earlier, reports emerged claiming a woman had kidnapped a Class 11 student outside Doon International School in Dehradun. This prompted the Uttarakhand Police to arrive at the scene for an investigation. However, the police dismissed the rumours after reviewing CCTV footage and called the report baseless.
According to SSP Ajay Singh, the woman was simply standing outside the school with her husband and child. Singh further claimed that miscommunication among students had sparked the kidnapping rumours.
"Upon receiving information about an alleged kidnapping, we took it very seriously and sent our team, which includes a city magistrate and a city information officer, to the school. We obtained CCTV footage that indicated the kidnapping report had no truth. One woman was just standing with her child and husband. After this, we traced the children who were talking to them... After speaking to them, we found that there was miscommunication among students that had flared up the kidnapping rumours. We also traced the woman and her family... No such things emerged as were alleged in the rumours... I request everyone to tell their children not to spread rumours..." Singh told ANI.
Reshma Praveen, the woman at the centre of the child abduction rumours, clarified that the allegations against her were entirely false.
She explained that she had visited the area with her husband to get medical injections. During her visit, she asked the students about school fees. While clearing the air, Praveen stated that she intends to pursue strict legal action against those responsible for defaming her and her family.
"These rumours have been spread against me falsely. I had come with my husband to get injections... It was around 2:30 pm, and the children probably came out of the school at 2:00 pm... I had sat in the sun near the bus... When the children were passing by me, I asked them about their monthly fees, and one child said his is Rs 6000. After saying this, that child went away from me... We were still sitting there... At 2:30 pm, my husband was injected, and I left after that. I have all the papers and evidence... This wrong action was taken against me. I will take strict action against him because of this; my husband and my child were defamed," Praveen told ANI.