Bagalavan Perier B By

Express News Service

VILLUPURAM: In a shocking incident, a group of students vandalised their school and staged a road blockade to protest the transfer of their teachers at a primary school near Ulundurpet on Thursday. Apparently, the incident is a fallout of caste tension that prevailed among a section of teachers in the school. Police have booked a teacher for allegedly instigating the students to go on a rampage.

The Panchayat Union Primary School in Semmanandal village near Ulundurpet has 191 students of Class I to Class VIII. The school had nine teachers, including headmaster Anbazhagan. When he was on leave, a senior mathematics teacher Suganthi, who was also the assistant headmistress, used to be in charge of the school.

It is alleged that Suganthi used to be very strict while discharging her duties and this had irked some teachers. Moreover, there existed a caste division among the teachers as Suganthi belonged to Dalit community, while the headmaster and some other teachers were caste Hindus.

Last week, the headmaster and other caste Hindu teachers, with the support of some caste Hindu politicians, lodged a complaint against Suganthi to education department officials. Countering this, the parents of Dalit students and the cadre of a Dalit-based party petitioned against the headmaster.

Sensing caste tension, the education department officials immediately visited the school. On Wednesday, the officials ordered the transfer of all the nine teachers.

On Thursday morning, before the arrival of newly-appointed teachers, Suganthi and her supporting teacher came to the school and emotionally told the students that they were being transferred. Apparently, the teachers cried in front of the students.

The emotional classroom session had an immediate effect as the Dalit students took the matter to their parents. After the teachers left the school, the students, allegedly with the support of their parents, started damaging the school property, including tables, benches and chairs.

The students then took the protest to the streets demanding that the transfer order be revoked, and blocked the Kedilam-Parikkal road. As tension mounted, Thirunavalur police rushed to the spot. Ulundurpet DSP Rajendiran, Tahsildar Balasubramanian and education department officials also arrived at the school immediately and pacified the students. The students were sent back to classrooms and parents were cleared from the area.

On Friday, Assistant Elementary School Officer Selvaraj lodged a complaint at Thirunavalur Police Station against Suganthi for instigating students. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case.

Sources in education department said that a department-level inquiry would be conducted. When Express tried to contact, the chief education officer was unreachable through phone.

Cold war in school

The cold war among the teachers entered classrooms as they started garnering support of students belonging to their own castes. Villagers alleged that the caste divide between the teachers had been prevailing for the last few years