CISF Director General OP Singh said the initiative was part of its responsibility toward society
India's top industrial protection force CISF has written to schools across the country, including big institutions like Kendriya Vidyalayas, Delhi Public School, Doon School and Scindia School, offering professional security consultancy services to ensure safe environment for children, a move that comes in the wake of the killing of a student in a Gurgaon school.
The Central Industrial Security Force, which protects critical installations in the country including airports, has written dozens of letters to school authorities saying it can help create a "safe and secure" environment for school children which will come with a service fee.
The trigger for this all-India exercise by the CISF is the recent incident of killing of Pradyuman Thakur, a Class 2 student of Ryan International School in Gurgaon, who was found dead in the school bathroom with his throat slit by on September 8.
"It is felt that in the wake of the recent unfortunate incident in one of the reputed schools in the national capital region (NCR) in which a young student lost his life, there is now a need for revisiting the security infrastructure of our schools," the CISF letter addressed to one of the school principals said.
"You will agree that a healthy and secure environment is a right of every child and schools have a major role to play in the providing the same," it said.
The CISF has also approached Ryan Group of Schools in Mumbai, Doon School in Dehradun, Scindia School in Gwalior and Rishi Valley in Chitoor in Andhra Pradesh; more letters are being sent.
CISF Director General OP Singh said the force took the initiative as part of its responsibility toward society.
"We are the best suited government agency for doing such expert security consultancies and in preparing safe environments. We need to ensure safety to the school-going children. About 200 institutions of national repute are our satisfied clients under this umbrella," he said.
CISF works under the Home Ministry and has conducted similar security consultancy for Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai and audited a number of Indian Institute of Management and Indian Institute of Technology.
The CISF has assured the schools that its professional but chargeable security solutions will be custom-made for them as it does for each of its clients. "We firmly believe that out consultancy will assist in finalising the blue print for effective security and fire protection of your esteemed educational institutions," the CISF has told the schools.
It said that its security audit report will "cover aspects related to integrated security solutions, student and faculty protection and any specific requirement put forth by them."
A senior officer of the force said after the first set of offer letters were dispatched a few days ago, three schools from Delhi have already approached them with a positive word.
The official said the CISF security consultancy will cost one-fourth of what is charged by some private players.
"So, for an average school that we are talking about, an amount of about Rs 4-4.5 lakh would be incurred as the CISF consultancy fee. The private players charge as much as Rs 20 lakh for the same job," he said.