Ahmedabad: The Jan Aakrosh Vali Mandal Sangharsh Samiti has written to the Ahmedabad Mayor, demanding the cancellation of the lease of the Seventh Day School, which is built on land owned by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). This comes in the aftermath of the brutal stabbing of a Class 10 student, Nayan Santani, by another student, Musef, and the Crime Branch filing an FIR against the school management for negligence during the incident.

In the letter, the parent association stated that the AMC had leased the school premises on a nominal lease agreement of one rupee to ensure education could be provided at minimal cost to students. However, this provision has allegedly been violated by the school, which charges high fees and reportedly carries out other commercial activities. Therefore, the parents have demanded that the school’s lease be cancelled.

The letter further alleged: “Although the purpose of the said school is for education, many religious activities are also conducted here, and Hindu children are converted to Christianity in the school,” citing this as another reason for lease cancellation.

It is also alleged that even when the lease was intended only for operating a school, a college has also been running on the premises, which is illegal as per the lease terms. The school also lacks adequate parking facilities, leading to obstruction on the road and causing inconvenience to commuters.

Furthermore, the letter stated that if there has been any illegal encroachment on the school premises, it should be removed.

Lease given at Rs 1 per sq meter during Congress rule in AMC

Notably, 24 years ago, the AMC, then under Congress rule, had leased a 10,465 sq m plot in Khokhra to the India Financial Association of Seventh Day Adventists for a school under a 99-year lease.

The AMC had fixed the annual rent at a meagre sum of Rs 10,465, equivalent to Re 1 per sq m. According to an AMC official, the organisation paid Rs 1.36 crore as premium and earnest money deposit, and possession was handed over on October 12, 2001. The organisation has paid rent up to December 31, 2029.

ABVP demands government takeover of school

On Tuesday, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest at the office of the District Education Officer in Ahmedabad, demanding action against the school, including cancellation of its recognition and removal of its principal from the post. They also demanded that if the school continues to operate, its management should be taken over by the government. DeshGujarat