Ryan International school murder case: Suspended principal Neerja Batra joins another branch as teacher

As justice stands delayed for Pradhyuman Thakur, the seven-year-old who was brutally murdered allegedly by Ryan International School's bus conductor in Bhondsi branch, suspended officiating principal Neerja Batra has joined the group’s sector 40 branch in Gurugram as a teacher, media reports said on Monday.The move has caused concern among parents in the sector 40 school as Batra was suspended on the grounds of negligence. “She was suspended for negligence in delivering her duties and now the management cannot assign her a new task in another branch. How can they reinstate an employee who is found guilty of not doing her job responsibly?” a parent, Ramneek Vashishtha, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.However, it was the district administration that first gave clearance to Batra as "she was not responsible for the incident." Based on deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh's orders, Batra was sent to join another school branch, Hindustan Times reported. She has been with the Ryan group for 20 years.On the morning of 8 September, Pradyuman was found dead with his throat slit inside the school's washroom, in less than an hour after his father dropped him at school. In no time, the case cropped up the national issue of safety and security of children in schools, as instances of protests were noted outside Ryan schools in several states.During the investigation, Gurugram Police's Special Investigation Team had questioned 17 persons, including Batra.[caption id="attachment_4101561" align="alignleft" width="380"] Suspending acting principal Neerja Batra. News18[/caption]Batra had said the school gardener saw his body lying in a pool of blood in the washroom meant for the school's support staff at about 8.15 am. She also added the victim skipped the morning assembly and went to the washroom, in contradiction to some school students.The probe took a different angle after the bus conductor, who is the prime accused in the murder case, told a special CBI court that he was forced by the police to confess to his crime.The CBI has now taken over the murder case, to probe only the killing aspect. The Haryana Police and state government would probe the negligence on part of the school authorities in ensuring the security of the students.The Bhondsi branch had reopened to conduct regular classes on 25 September, with additional CCTVs installed and a new set of security arrangements in place. It had previously attempted to reopen on 18 September but was ordered to shut down again due to poor attendance amid security concerns.