India, Oct. 3 -- The Alandi Municipal Council sealed Winners Academy after a preliminary inquiry found that the coaching institute had allegedly been operating without the required municipal permission for nearly two years. Questions have also emerged regarding parental consent for the Diveagar trip.

The action comes a day after eight 16-year-old students associated with the academy drowned at Diveagar beach in Raigad district during an educational trip, prompting scrutiny of how private coaching institutes function and the safety arrangements they make for excursions involving minors.

Alandi Municipal Council chief officer Madhav Khandekar, who ordered the sealing, said, "Winners Academy had been operating in Alandi for around two year...