Police detain officer for forcing pupils to walk home

Sharjah: The military officer who stopped a school bus to make 30 pupils walk home as punishment on Monday was detained by Sharjah Police that evening and his case has been referred to public prosecution for further investigation.

Thirty boys aged 11 to 13 were on their way home from school when they were stopped by an angry uniformed man, who evacuated the bus and told the students to walk home as punishment for throwing paper out of the window.

The man ordered the bus driver to take the empty bus back to Al Ahliya Private School.

Sharjah Police have confirmed to Gulf News that the officer had been detained late on Monday and that his case has now been referred to the public prosecutor for further investigation.

The headmaster of the school, Ebrahim Mohammad Hamad, said that the school pressed charges on the official for yelling at and intimidating the pupils as well as endangering their lives.

Parents of some of the pupils said they would only be satisfied if the officer is reprimanded and disciplined for his actions.

Umm Ahmad, the mother of a 14-year-old pupil, said that the only way to deter recurrence of such incidents would be to punish the perpetrator. "This would send a clear signal to others".

Umm Husam, whose son and daughter usually take the bus to Al Ahliya school, said her children chose not to take the bus on Tuesday.

Describing the act as "irresponsible" she said the officer should be reprimanded and disciplined, but did not support punishment. What was important, she added, was that he realised that he had done something wrong.

She stressed, however, that the school should also be held responsible. "I have asked the school for the bus driver's mobile number many times but they don't give it out. The fact that there was no supervisor on the bus is even more upsetting", she said, adding that the school did send supervisors on buses on Tuesday.