New Delhi, Feb 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday summoned Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi after a “theft” at a convent school in south Delhi.
The Prime Minister further asked the Police Commissioner to speedily investigate the recent incidents of vandalism and ensure that the guilty are brought to book.
Modi also spoke over telephone to Union Home Secretary LC Goyal and asked him to "pay special attention to the rising incidents of crime, and vandalism, and to work towards ensuring the safety and security of women in the capital," an official release said here.
The PM summoned Bassi hours after Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani, an alumnus of the institution, visited the Holy Child Auxilium School in south Delhi's Vasant Vihar and urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to look into the matter.
Delhi Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal has also condemned the attack.
Talking to reporters, Bassi said: "The Prime Minister told me to take strict action against the perpetrators of such attacks.”
Unidentified persons had allegedly vandalised the school in South Delhi's Vasant Vihar in the wee hours even as police and school authorities claimed it to be a case of robbery.
Police said the office of the school principal was vandalised and wires of CCTV were cut. After the incident, the school was shut down this morning.
"We are investigating and have registered a case in this regard," said a senior official.
This is the sixth incident in three months on Christian establishments in the national capital.
Police, however, claimed that it was a case of robbery as a donation box was missing."The school's donation box which is at a distance from the church has been robbed. It is an incident of robbery and we suspect that it is an insider's job who knew where the cameras were installed.”
"It is not a case of desecration, as per our preliminary investigation," Bassi told reporters.
School authorities also claimed it to be a case of robbery.
"When the maid came to open the school, administrative office and principal's office were open. We found that six CCTVs were damaged and the principal's office was found ransacked, all cupboards were ransacked and all papers were thrown away. Around Rs 12,000 cash is also missing," Sister Lucy, school's principal, said.
She also said that the cameras inside the corridor were destroyed but the cameras outside are intact and the police are investigating.
However, Father Dominic Emanuel, spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, said that this is sixth such attack on a christian institution.
"In the morning, the CCTVs were found destroyed and principal's office ransacked. Some money is also missing but am not sure about the amount. We are very surprised that this is sixth such attack on a christian institution. Why are our religious places and institutions being attacked," he said.
However, Bassi said of the six incidents reported, four have been solved and it was found that attacks were not connected with each other.
Meanwhile, HRD minister Smriti Irani, who is an alumna of the same school, visited the campus around noon and met the school principal.
She, however, did not respond to queries from the battery of reporters outside the school premises.
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