About 50 girl students of Backward Class (BC) welfare hostel in Kothavalasa mandal staged a dharna against the alleged physical and sexual harassment by the hostel warden and her husband.
They also lodged a complaint with the Kothavalasa Mandal Revenue Office (MRO) and police on Monday, December 9, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The students alleged that hostel warden Neeraja Kumari thrashed them under the influence of liquor besides not implementing the hostel menu while her husband was sexually harassing them. They have shown the liquor bottle left by the warden to the MRO.
Srungavarapukota Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kolla Lalitha Kumari visited the hostel, enquired from the students and staff, and assured the victims of justice. She inspected the store room and kitchen.
The girls studying in Zilla Parishad (ZP) High School, have been residing the government BC welfare hostel. According to local sources, warden Neeraja Kumari failed to implement the hostel menu and was allegedly diverting the hostel grocery to her house. She has been thrashing the students after consuming alcohol. In addition to that, she has also been instigating her husband to commit sexual harassment on the students from the past few months, sources said.
Fed up with the hostel warden Neeraja Kumari's harassment, the students of the BC welfare hostel staged dharna at the mandal revenue office and police station in Kothavalasa along with the liquor that was left by the hostel warden in the hostel premises, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
Speaking to the media on the condition of anonymity, a Class IX student said, "Our warden Neeraja Kumari has been consuming alcohol in the hostel and harassing us regularly. She is not following the hostel menu. She has been diverting hostel groceries to her home. Her husband also misbehaving with us. I appeal to the district officials to take necessary action as our parents could not afford to send us to private schools."
