Father sets up safety trust in Pradhyumn name

Gurgaon: Just over a month after seven-year-old Pradhyumn Thakur was murdered inside the premises of Ryan International School, Bhondsi, on September 8, his father Barun Thakur announced the formation of Pradhyumn Foundation Trust on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference held in Delhi's Laxmi Nagar.

"I want to make every parent and school-going child aware of their rights. There are many parents in this country who are not well aware about rules and regulations applicable to schools. Should such people face any problems and approach us, we'll educate them, give them the right direction and guide them on what they should do. They can come to us with any problem, whether it is related to school fees, harassment, flouting of rules or the safety and security of their kids in a school. We'll provide them with all necessary legal aid too," said Barun Thakur.

The trust fund will be based on a corpus to which Barun Thakur will be donating some part of his monthly salary and some jewellery to the trust. On Wednesday, he launched it with a symbolic donation of Rs 501, and said he will be appealing to the masses to contribute to the trust.

Barun announced the trust will have a governing body where he and his wife, Sushma alias Jyoti Thakur, will be the principal members. The governing body will also include family members, advocates, journalists, social activists, some of whose names have already been finalised. They are: Dr Kunj Bihari Tiwari, orthopedic surgeon, Dr Birbal Jha, chairman of NGO Mithilalok Foundation, and three journalists.

The objective of the trust will be to work for the safety, welfare, well-being, protection, reliability, surveillance, security, rootedness, confidence and comfort of children in schools across the nation/globe.

At the press conference, Supreme Court lawyer Sushil Tekriwal said, "This trust will give guidance to anyone and empower them to know their rights. We will also soon launch a Pradhyumn Helpline number for people looking for assistance on any school-related issue. We will help anyone who approaches us, and won't charge a penny for that. The trust will give direction and dispense information to the common man."

The trust will work towards a holistic overhaul of the education system, in the light of prevailing flaws in the present education system. It will also put special focus on and care for the cause of differently-abled children.

"The trust will work for child rights, and fund research on subjects related to children and child psychology," added Barun.