The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has called for a permanent ban on school excursions to Imagica Park following the tragic death of 14-year-old Ayush Singh, a student of Ghansoli School No. 76 (Hindi Medium, Class 8), during a school trip.
MNS spokesperson and Navi Mumbai city president Gajanan Kale on Thursday led a delegation to the park. The trio was to look into the functioning of the park and the nature of security measures followed.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) had organized the excursion in January and February, sending around 1,200 students from various municipal schools to Imagica Park in Khopoli.
The party communicated with Imagica Park manager Shivraj Nair. “The manager was questioned about how the park was allowed to organize school trips despite a Maharashtra government policy restricting such excursions to educational, cultural, historical, or geographical sites,” said a party representative.
The party further accused Imagica Park of putting children’s lives at risk for profit and demanded strict action against those responsible. “The incident has sparked serious concerns over the safety of amusement parks and the responsibilities of school administrations in organizing excursions,” said Kale.
Issuing a strong warning, MNS has declared that school trips to Imagica Park must be permanently discontinued. “We have given a formal representation informing the park management that any future plans to have school excursions will not be tolerated. In the event that the management continues to organize school excursions, we will have an MNS-style agitation against the management,” added Kale.
MNS Raigad District President Jitendra Patil sought a detailed report on the incident. “They have not provided any such report, and that is a matter of concern,” said Patil. The party urged local police to file a case against the park and demanded strict implementation of government policies to prevent similar incidents in the future.
MNS leaders also criticized the alleged lack of safety measures, inadequate drinking water arrangements, and poor food quality at the park, calling these failures direct contributors to the tragic incident. They also condemned Imagica Park’s failure to assist Ayush Singh’s parents following the tragedy.
With MNS demanding an immediate and permanent ban on school trips to the park, authorities at Imagica have stated that they will raise the matter with the government.
