Acting on a tip-off, police and members of People for Animals (PFA) – an NGO helmed by BJP leader and Union minister Maneka Gandhi – raided a private school here on Thursday and to their surprise found female foetus among other species preserved in the lab there.
Police seized 30 jars, which also contained preserved remains of a stingray, frog, kingfisher, snakes, a collection of claws and bird beaks. The eight-member search team was led by sub-inspector Vikram Singh and Gaurav Gupta of the PFA. “We came to know that the school was dissecting animals as part of the school syllabus,” said Saurabh Gupta, vice-president, PFA. “We immediately informed Maneka Gandhi and she proved to be instrumental in alerting the police officials about this,” he added.
When the police reached the school at around 1:30 pm they found the dissection kit open along with a few jars containing animal specimens. Upon further inquiry, the students who were present in the science lab on the ground floor of the school building at the time led the team to a locked room within the lab where upon, wildlife specimens and a human foetus of a female was found deep inside a cupboard.
According to Gaurav, principal Urmila Malik and owner Dharampal Sivas, initially feigned ignorance about the matter. The duo also failed to produce relevant permissions and certificates to justify the presence of the seized items. Garuav has been part of more than 100 raids over the course of his career, and immediately recognised the foetus and certain other obvious aquatic species.
Despite repeated attempts, the school authorities were unavailable for comment. According to the staff there, the principal and the vice-principal were both taken ill and had left before school was done for the day.
The CBSE-affiliated school has classes only up to standard X, and hence no requirement for a practical knowledge of this calibre, said Gaurav Pandey, himself a teacher. “In the science labs, the students usually conduct experiments related to chemistry. For biology, it’s is hardly done, that too with specimens,” he added.
According to a ruling by the Animal Welfare Board of India, dissection is banned in schools across the country. To conduct dissection for educational purposes, a special permission must be taken from the board with complete details of the animal that would be dissected. Wildlife is not permitted for dissection at all. A case has been registered against the principal and the owner under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 under sections 9, 39, 42, 50, 51 and 315/428 of the IPC. This is a non-bailable offence and if convicted carries a sentence of 3-7 years.
Bal Ram, SHO, Sangam Vihar police station said, “The samples have been sent for testing. It would be unfair to comment on the matter before we get the results.”