New Delhi, July 10: In an astonishing incident of high-handedness, authorities of a private school allegedly locked minor girl students in basement for hours after their parents failed to pay fee on time. The incident took place at Rabea Girls Public School in central Delhi's Chandni Chowk on Monday.

The parents alleged that school authorities had confined their children in the basement of the school building from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm, even as the temperature touched 40 degree Celsius. According to the parents, when they reached the school at 12:30 pm to pick up their children, authorities allegedly didn't let the students go.

The parents alleged that their repeated request to release the children from school basement fell on deaf ears. While some parents said they had paid the fees in advance, others were of the opinion that regardless of the reason, detaining children as young as four and five is nothing less than a criminal offence.

An FIR has been registered by the police under Section 342 of IPC and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The school has not yet commented on the issue. According to a report, the school - a part of Hamdard Group - charges between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,900 as fees for each child.

Videos and pictures of young girls locked in the basement triggered massive outrage against the school authorities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 10, 2018 08:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).