Residents of Alandi observed a bandh on Friday following the death of eight students who drowned in the sea near Diveagar beach on Thursday
Among the victims was 16-year-old Tanmay Dattatray Vahile.
When such institutes organise trips, there should be clear responsibility and accountability for the safety of the students,” said DD Bhosale, former president of Alandi Municipal Council. He said police should thoroughly examine if sufficient attention was paid to safety protocols. Madhav Khandekar, chief officer of the civic body, told TOI , “Our team inspected the academy premises and found that the coaching classes were being conducted from a property owned by one Narayan Haribhau Das.
“Parents send their children to coaching classes primarily for education. His father, Dattatray Vahile, questioned why the students were allowed to venture into the sea despite tidal conditions. “Were the teachers accompanying the students adequately monitoring the children? My family has learnt that some staff members were allegedly on their phones when the accident occurred. Vitthal Bhandwalkar, uncle of another victim Soham Bhandwalkar, alleged that the students were not provided safety jackets and were largely left on their own at the beach. Municipal records showed that the establishment had neither obtained the necessary business licence nor a no-objection certificate.”
On Friday, Alandi Municipal Council sealed the premises of the academy after an inspection found it was allegedly operating without the required business licence or a no-objection certificate from the civic body.