By Surbhi Bhatia
Moms who were involved in a four-women brawl outside North Ridge Elementary last Friday may not be allowed to enter the school’s premises to pick up their kids. They will have to authorize some other family member to go to school on their behalf, according to Surrey School Board.
Doug Strachan, communication service manager, Surrey Schools, while expressing his concern about the four women fight that took place in front of more than 100 kids, said, “Violence of any kind is not accepted in our schools. However, this was a private matter, the Surrey school board has limitations as to the action it can take. It will be up to the principal to take the action. In such extreme cases generally the persons involved are restricted to enter the school’s premises.”
Ben Gill, a parent and vice-president of the school’s parent advisory committee, who was one of the witnesses to the fight, confirmed that the principal of the school has banned the women to enter the school for a limited time. “I called up the principal and she just informed me that the women have been banned to come to the school.”
Earlier two women, out of the three involved in the fight also faced assault charges.
“Sonia Khan, 33, and Saiqa Khan, 39, facing assault charges for beating up one women that happened during the school’s sports day. A third woman involved in the spat was not charged. The charges have been laid, the court will do the proceedings,” informed a spokesperson from the Surrey RCMP.
Both of the women charged are believed to be from the same family, though the officer said police hadn’t determined how they are related. They were arrested and released on Friday under certain conditions. “Part of their release includes conditions to have no contact with the victim,” said the spokesperson.
The fight occurred in front of 100 to 150 people. Gill said three women kicked another woman on the ground around 1 p.m., after a gruesome round of hair-pulling and cursing.”It’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen since I moved to Surrey,” said Gill, who has two kids in Grades 5 and 7. “I saw clumps of hair and a little bit of blood on the road.”
Gill showed up just after the brawl was broken up and saw the woman’s bloodied face as she lay on the ground.
The 32-year-old victim was taken to hospital via ambulance with minor head and facial injuries and was released the same day.
While it’s still unclear how the fight started, it reportedly stems from a traffic incident in June 2012
“The worst part about it, other than my kids and other kids witnessing it – because it was done all in front of the primary school kids – was that going up to the women, trying to calm them down, the first thing that came out of her mouth was, ‘She started it,'” he said.
