The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Bomb rumours send parents scurrying to Salem schools

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Bomb rumours send parents scurrying to Salem schools

By R. Ilangovan

SALEM, JULY 22. Rumours triggered by a string of freak calls of bomb threat to city schools today created panic among parents, mostly women, who stormed the institutions to ascertain their wards' safety.

Defying teachers and other staff, they pulled their wards out of classrooms as the entire city was agog with rumours of bomb threats and fire breakouts in schools. Traffic near the schools was thrown out of gear, with hundreds of vehicles including autorickshaws and vans choking the roads to ferry the children back home in the event of an emergency.

Frayed tempers

Frayed tempers reigned supreme near many schools. Parents clashed with managements and insisted that they be permitted to take their children back home.

"We are shocked to see hundreds of parents, shouting and arguing, in front of our school gate. Despite our assurance that there was no threat and that the children were safe and studying, they refused to listen. They just gatecrashed, pulled their children out of classrooms and took them away," said a correspondent of a matriculation School.

The panicked parents were in no mood to listen to anyone. A group of them even scaled the compound wall of a school whose management refused permission to enter the premises. Watchmen were heckled and in some schools even assaulted.

Angry mothers staged a road roko near a matriculation school to protest against the principal's refusal to permit their children to leave. "I have been telling them repeatedly that there is nothing amiss on the campus. They (parents) should allow us to conduct classes. But they never heeded," said the visibly shaken principal.

Many mothers just ignored the teachers. "If something worse happens, who will save my child? They (teachers) will run away," said one of them.

Almost all schools from nursery to matriculation, numbering about 50, could not conduct classes.

It all started with a school receiving an anonymous telephone call about a bomb threat in the morning.

After a thorough police check-up, it was found that the call was a hoax. A few other schools also reportedly received hoax calls. Worried over the development, Education department officials asked the managements not to prevent parents from taking their children home.

Later the schools were asked to declare a holiday for the afternoon session.

Hectic time for police

The police had a hectic time. They asked the people to remain calm and urged them not to believe rumours.

"This is the most irresponsible act. We have formed special teams to nab the anti-socials. School managements have also been asked to fix caller IDs on their telephones. BSNL has promised help to trace the rumour-mongers," said a senior police official.

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