Some Hindu students were allegedly punished for bursting crackers

The Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TNCPCR) on Monday launched an inquiry into a complaint against a Christian minority matriculation school at Keezhapudur in Tiruchi that some Hindu students were punished by the school headmaster for bursting crackers during Deepavali.

Inquiry is also on into another complaint, which alleged that the physical education teacher of the school had caned a girl student for having applied ‘mardani’ (henna).

The Commission’s chairperson, M.P. Nirmala, deputed one of its members, P. Mohan of Tiruchi, to conduct the inquiry upon receipt of the complaints received by the panel against Servite Matriculation School.

The Palakkarai police are separately conducting inquiries after issuing a CSR (Community Service Register) to the petitioners.

Acting on the direction of the panel chairperson, Mr. Mohan conducted separate inquiries with the school principal and the affected students, taking along with him the District Child Protection Unit counsellors.

Mr. Mohan said the inquiry with the physical education teacher could not be done as he was not available. “The inquiry will continue to find out the facts and a report will be submitted to the Commission,” he said.

‘False complaint’

Meanwhile, the school principal sister, Lily Anthony, refuted the allegations levelled against the institution. In a statement, she said the students were advised to celebrate pollution-free Deepavali as per the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board awareness circular.

The complaint that the teachers had punished some Hindu students, besides instructing them not to celebrate Deepavali, was “false.”

The physical education teacher had asked students from third to fifth standard to wear leggings while playing and only pulled up those who failed to comply. This had been twisted and a false complaint was filed, she said.

Some persons with political backing were trying to besmirch the image of the institution, she alleged.