Principal 'suspended' over Nepali student's death
Ujjwal Bikram Thapa, a social engineer and alumnus of Sherwood, said that a meeting of the board of directors of Sherwood held on October 21 by the bishop of the Church of North India had suspended Principal Sandhu. After the suspension of Dr. Sandhu. Peter Emmanuel has been appointed acting principal. Dr. Peter was previously the principal of St. Joseph's College, Nainital.
Social activists, including Thapal, who have been active in bringing justice to the victim's family, have taken Sandhu's suspension as a positive event, albeit due to financial difficulties. Thapa claimed that the accused Sandhu had been making excuses for the school's educational program and various other excuses but now after the suspension, the excuse would not work and the hearing of the case would be expedited. "Hopefully, the new principal will take office in the first week of November and Sandhu will not get an excuse to go to court," Thapa told Kantipur.
Prajapati, a 14-year-old student at Sherwood, died on November 15, 2014 at a private hospital in Noida due to negligence in his treatment. On November 9, Shan informed the school administration that he was having difficulty breathing and had chest pains. But the school administration gave him only normal medicine for four days instead of taking him to the hospital. He was taken to hospital only after his condition deteriorated. He was admitted to the ICU of Bombay Hospital in Haldani, Uttarakhand in critical condition.
He was rushed to a private hospital in Noida. A week after Shaan fell ill, the school did not inform his mother Nina, who is still in Nepal. Only after he reached Noida did Shan's classmate tell Nina about her son's condition. However, Shana had already passed away before her mother Nina Shrestha reached Delhi. The autopsy report said Shan's death was caused by a bacterial infection called septicemia. After the incident, the victim's family and relatives have been demanding justice.
Prajapati's mother had alleged that her son's death was due to serious negligence on the part of the principal. A case was filed against Principal Sandhu and two other employees, hostel warden Ravi Kumar and nurse Payal Paul, alleging that Prajapati died due to untimely treatment. However, the college administration had not taken any action against Sandhu for six years. The victim's family and Sherwood alumni had demanded the suspension of Principal Sandhu before the school's board of directors and the bishop of Agra. However, the bishop denied the allegations made by the victim and said no action had been taken against the accused, saying the internal investigation did not find them guilty. Mother Nina, however, continued her fight for justice, calling for the death of her only child, Shawn, to be brought to justice.
Ujjwal Vikram Thapa, a Sherwood alumnus and social activist in Nepal, and Vipin Delwal, another alumnus in India, launched the 'Justice for Shan' campaign to bring justice to Shan. Engineers, including Thapal, had been demanding that Sindhu be removed from office as she was influencing the issue.
"I spoke to the bishop and he said the decision was being implemented. If that is the case, then we have considered it a step towards victory for the cause of justice, ”Thapa said. Shanki's mother, Nina, said that even if she found out about the suspension, she would have to wait a while for the impact on the issue.
"I have learned that he has not left the office even though it has been suspended. So we have to wait a little longer to know what the reality is and how the issue will move forward, 'said Nina. After Shan's death, his mother had filed a case in the Nainital High Court alleging that he had died due to negligence.
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