Did Class X students from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community in a high school located in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district face discrimination? The Tamil Nadu School Education Department is probing these allegations.
The probe was commenced by the department after a few Class X students of the Government High School in Perapatti raised a complaint that they were being subjected to discrimination by their teachers and their headmistress. They complained that they were being verbally abused using caste expletives. Students also complained that they were being forced to clean toilets.
"The students were being discriminated against in this school. A Class X student was forcefully dismissed from school and TC was given. The teachers speak ill of the Scheduled Caste students," the parent of a student told IANS.
There are several students from the Scheduled Caste category in the school and the complaints stated that most of these students faced abuse and caste slurs. A Class X student's parent had also lodged a complaint with the Virudhunagar District Collector, J Megnath Reddy, alleging that the boy was verbally abused by the headmistress.
The Collector's office told IANS that they have indeed received a complaint from the family and have commenced an investigation into the same.
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, School Education Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, told IANS, that they have already sought a report from the Chief Educational Officer, "and if the allegations are found true, stringent action will be taken against those indulging in such activities".
It may be recalled that lately, several such cases of caste-related violence are being reported across schools in India.
