CISF exercise to audit security of top schools

New Delhi: Almost two months after it first offered its expertise as a consultant in securing public and private schools, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has started a mega exercise of auditing some big names in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata to ensure that any Gurugram-like student killing incident does not recur in educational institutions.

The central paramilitary force, that is mandated to guard major Indian civil airports and has a unique security consultancy wing, has also received over Rs 15 lakh of the government prescribed service fee for rendering this service, from few schools. The consultancy fee is around Rs 4 lakh for an average school.

According to sources a blueprint prepared by the force shows that separate team of experts have begun work to provide foolproof security solutions to three private schools in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. “Separate board of officers have been constituted and they are on job to draw a professional and sound security plan for the safety of students and staff of these schools. Five more schools across the country have sent in their final approvals and such expert teams will soon begin their work at their facilities too,” sources said.

Sources further said the proposal made by the force for providing security solutions to the schools, first in November last year, is getting a good and positive response. We took up this initiative as part of our responsibility towards the society. We are always happy to extend help of our professional services,” sources said. Members of the elite security consultancy wing has been asked to be prepared and move out to schools at a short notice so that this task is carried out as fast as possible, sources said adding that the command of the force has categorised this work as a  priority subject.

The force, last year, had dispatched letters to a number of schools in the country offering its help in creating a ‘safe and secure’ environment for their students.

The trigger for this all-India exercise by the force was the September, 2017 killing of a Class 2 student of the Ryan International School in Gurugram, who was found dead in the school bathroom with his throat slit. The CISF’s security audit provides professional advise to schools as to where to install CCTV cameras, where to deploy security staff, how to check access control, how to train their security staff and install emergency response gadgets.