dengue

playschool

ICU

mosquitoes

of his neck by

, as a result of which he sustained minor injuries.

garbage

have turned Bengaluru into a hotbed for dengue-breeding mosquitoes.

most susceptible to the disease, especially because a large number

drainage systems in the vicinity.



Every week, records of various

city hospitals show, a few kids from every school fall prey to dengue.

Family Welfare Services, there were a total of 2,072 suspected

cases of dengue in the state in 2014, of which 1,182 were positive.

Parents raisedworries, but did not get the response they wantedA management consultant and his wife got the shock of their lives when they were allegedly abused and roughed up, only because they voiced concern over hygiene issues at their daughter’sTerrified after seeing his best friend’s sister admitted to thewith dengue fever, the 39-year-old management consultant for a multinational firm feared his three-year-old daughter could contract the dreaded disease after he reportedly found mosquito bites on both her hands when she returned from her nursery class, run by a well-known playschool chain with centres across the country.He expressed his concern in the child’s diary, which was checked by her teacher the next day. The couple says they were summoned to ‘discuss’ the matter. However, neither the consultant nor his wife were prepared for what followed – they were manhandled, hit, and shoved out of the school office by the school’s head honcho.Subsequently, the couple got in touch with DCP (South East) Dr Rohini Katoch Sepat, who instructed the local police to take up a case immediately, and a complaint was registered under sections 323, 341, 504, and 506 of the IPC.The victims are Anindya Banerjee and his wife Shilpi Kar Banerjee, 34, a teacher by profession, who had admitted their daughter, Anusha, to Kidzee Pride House play home near DLF Township, off Bannerghatta road. The family moved from Kolkata to Bengaluru in 2011.On November 20, when the child returned to their home in BTS Layout, Arakere, her parents claim they saw numerous large, red bumps caused by mosquito bites on her hands. Fearing the child could be susceptible to the dangerous dengue fever, they decided to bring the matter to the notice of the school management. As per the school rules, parents are required to intimate their concerns in the student’s diary. The Banerjees did just that and wrote they were anxious about the hygiene conditions at the play home.The very next day, the owner of the Kidzee franchise, Kishore, reportedly called Anindya and asked him to come for a face-to-face discussion. Accompanied by Shilpi and Anusha, the management consultant went to the school, as directed, around 1.45 pm.After meeting Kishore, Anindya and his wife tried explaining their daughter’s predicament, but Kishore reportedly refused to listen and began yelling at the couple using unprofessional language. According to the victims, the owner allegedly said, “You bloody people (sic), get lost. Go and complain wherever and to whomever you want, I will see what you can do. You are new to Bengaluru, but I am from the city and a local. I will show you what I can do.”Unwilling to listen, the owner reportedly assumed an arrogant tone and said there was nothing he could do if thehad bitten Anindya’s daughter, and that if they didn’t like the play home, the couple could stop sending their child there.Infuriated that he was being ‘told’ how to ‘run the play home’ by a woman, Kishore then allegedly shoved Shilpi roughly toward the exit.When Anindya intervened, he was also allegedly pushed and hit on the backKishore“My daughter was holding on to my hand, and it was my priority to ensure she didn’t fall on to the road outside. Other parents have raised issues with the management before, but have also been treated rudely. This is an utter shock to us,” said Anindya, speaking to Bangalore Mirror. When they admitted Anusha to the play home in June, Anindya said the management had coaxed his wife to join as a teacher. However, because she frequently spoke out on hygiene and curriculum issues, she was terminated from the job in November without a reason, he said.“We admitted her to the school only for the brand name. After the incident, my daughter still wants to go to school, but the moment we reach the road where it is located, she gets panicky and starts crying. If the play home owner can hit and abuse us parents, what is the guarantee our child won’t be harmed?” he said.Meanwhile, police claimed investigations were still on, but said Kishore had not yet been arrested.Efforts to reach Kishore failed as his mobile was switched off.Unattended, open spaces with shrubs and open drainsChildren, with their generally weak immune systems, areof schools either have large open areas on campus or haveAs per statistics procured by the Directorate of Health and