School makes girls perform bike stunts

LUCKNOW - A renowned girls’ school in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh is facing enquiry after a local TV channel aired footage of students performing stunts on bikes as part of preparations for its annual day programme, an official said Wednesday.

Students of classes IX to XII of St. Mary’s Senior Secondary School were shown performing dangerous stunts on bikes without supervision or protective gear.

“It’s a serious case. We just cannot ignore the scenes we have seen in the video footage in which the girls are seen performing the stunts without wearing helmets. As I came to know about the incident, I ordered an enquiry against the school authorities,” city magistrate Mangla Prasad Singh told reporters in Moradabad, some 300 km from Lucknow.

While some girls were seen driving bikes while standing, others kneeled on the seats, balancing the two-wheelers. Girls in groups of three were also seen sharing the seat of a bike.

“The footage throws up several questions. Did the girls have driving licenses? Was there any pressure from teachers or other school staff for performing the stunts?” Singh said.

Singh added that he had instructed the district inspector of schools to conduct the enquiry.