Maiden Day at School, Monkeys ‘carry the day’

A child at ICB loses finger to ‘the beast’, Administration, Rescue 15 enjoy catnap

The very first day at school after summer vacation is great fun for kids. However, the same proved a nightmare for an eight-year-old boy who was attacked by a fierce monkey and ended up losing a finger.

According to details a herd of monkeys attached Islamabad College for Boys (ICB) G-6/3 – the oldest among the Model Colleges in Islamabad and took positions on roof and near the main exit gate of hostel branch (junior section) of the college. Children who were waiting for their vans to pick them up were attacked by these fierce animals and an unlucky student of grade-3 was severely injured by one of them.

On hearing the hue and cry of the injured child, a guard made the monkey run by throwing a brick on the beast. The child was later taken to infirmary within the college for first aid,” an eye-witness told INFN requesting not to be named.

According to an insider, these monkeys have been wandering freely in the college for many a day and some staffers had a narrow escape after being attacked by the ‘beasts’. It is pity that despite repeated complaints lodged to the college administration, no necessary action was taken and the administration ignored the practice that left the children exposed to the calamity. The wild grass that has been left un-weeded by the college administration has provided a safe heaven for these monkeys that have shifted their residence from the nearby Nullah to the educational institution.

Another eye-witness told this scribe that one of the children present there contacted Rescue 15 and complained: “Uncle our school has been taken hostage by the monkeys and the monkeys have bitten one boy injuring him seriously and he is bleeding.” However, the officer of Rescue 15 proved equally cold-hearted by taking it as a joke and said: “Do you study with monkeys at school? Stop kidding kid,” and the call was dropped.

When INFN contacted the Principal of ICB, Anwar Ali Khan, he was not on his seat despite the evening shift at college was being conducted and on his behalf Muhammad Sarfraz who claimed to be the Admin Officer of ICB said: “No such incident has occurred. We have two monkeys on the roof of the college and we have informed the local police and CDA about their presence. The complaints of wandering wild monkeys in the college have been received as many staffers have complained of being teased by them.”

It is a great pity that not only the college administration of the most well-reputed and the oldest institution of the government sector in the very heart of the capital of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has failed to provide the much needed safe and secure environment to the children before re-opening the institution but also the Rescue 15 staff has miserably failed to respond ‘to the call for help’ by laughing away the matter in the air considering it a joke. But life is not a joke and the poor little soul had to face the consequences of the criminal negligence.