A case of allegedly making several students remove their shirts after the principal’s order has come to light in a private school in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand.
But the principal has said that he had not given any such order.
According to the written complaint made by the students to the Dhanbad District Magistrate, this incident happened on the last day of the pre-board examination in the school.
The principal of the school is accused that when the students were writing good wishes for each other on their shirts, the principal said that doing so would spoil the reputation of the school, so all the students should leave their shirts in the school.
It is alleged that after this, some girls removed their shirts themselves and some were made to remove their shirts by the seniors. The district administration has ordered an inquiry into the whole matter.
What is the whole matter?
The students are not ready to talk to the media on this issue. However, their family members have talked on this issue.
Mahesh Kumar (name changed) is a businessman by profession. His daughter is a student of this school.
He told BBC Hindi, ”I received a call from my daughter on January 9 in the afternoon. I was in Kolkata at that time.”
”My daughter told me that after the completion of the 10th pre-board exam, she was celebrating ‘Pain Day’ with her friends. Suddenly, the principal came to the school grounds and started scolding them.”
He further says, ”The principal said to deposit the shirt on which the message was written. Some students had brought separate shirts for ‘Pain Day’ to school.”
”Some had got the message written on their school uniforms. In such a situation, the shirts of those students were taken off in the school and they were forced to go home in their blazers.”
Another parent told BBC, ”Such behavior by a woman with girls is very sad.”
There are a total of 120 students in the school, including both the sections of 10th. After the exams were over, about 20 students went home. The rest of the students were celebrating ‘Pain Day’. Some students had to go home in public transport wearing blazers.”
He further said, ”My daughter is also crying a lot. But, we have explained to her that the parents are fighting the battle of all the girls. She should focus on her board exams.”
Another parent says that he is afraid that the effect of this incident can be seen in the results of the students as well.
He says that he will not let this matter be covered up.
The parents are demanding action against the principal. Angry family members and local people expressed their protest by burning the effigy of the principal last Saturday.
This school has been running since 1955. About 1,300 students are studying in this girls’ school.
DC Madhavi Mishra ordered an investigation
Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Madhavi Mishra told BBC that a complaint has been received about 80 female students being forced to remove their shirts.
Madhavi Mishra said, “Yesterday (Saturday) some girls and their family members came to my office. They told me that they were celebrating ‘Pain Day’ in the class on January 9 (Thursday). They had written something on each other’s shirts. All these girls are from class 10.”
The DC said, “We have formed a committee at the district level under the chairmanship of SDM. Yesterday the committee went to the school for investigation and sealed the CCTV room.”
She said, “The committee is engaged in investigation. As soon as the investigation is completed and whatever report comes, we will take further action according to that.”
According to Madhavi Mishra, the principal has rejected these allegations. The principal says that he has not given any such order.
The principal has also denied the allegations against him.
He told the journalists, “I did not do anything like that, nor did I ask him to take off his shirt and leave. I only asked him to leave in proper uniform.”
Then the journalists asked, does that mean the allegation against you is false?
To this, the principal said, “It is false.”
BJP expressed protest and demanded action from CM
BJP’s state president Babulal Marandi has also expressed anger over this incident.
Also read: California Wildfires: Death Toll Rises To 24, Nearly 1.5 Lakh People Under Evacuation Orders As Blazes Wreak Havoc In Los Angeles – Latest Updates
He has written on Instagram, “Chief Minister Hemant Soren should take strict action against all the culprits instead of covering up the matter in the name of investigation.”
When the group of parents reached the District Magistrate with a complaint, Jharia MLA Ragini Singh was also present with them.
She told BBC, “Being a woman, not respecting women is very condemnable. If the principal felt that the girls were making a mistake, then she should have complained about it to the parents. Not to make them take off their clothes.”
She further says, “The board examination is to be held in the same school. The girls are scared. They have lost faith in the school. We have demanded security for them. If the examination is not held under the supervision of the administration, then we will not back down from the movement.”
At the same time, the former MLA of the area, Purnima Neeraj Singh said, “I am shocked by the petty act of the school management. The ‘Pain Day’ on the last day of school is one of our fondest memories and this tradition has been going on for generations now. The mental and physical torture by the administration is nothing less than a lifelong nightmare for these children.”
The complaint of this case has also reached the District Child Welfare Committee.
The committee’s chairman Uttam Mukherjee says, ”Social worker Ankit Rajgarhia, Manoj Mishra and Madhurendra Singh associated with Dhanbad Parents Association have complained about it to them. We are waiting for the report of the investigation committee constituted by the District Magistrate.”
He further says, ”Members of the District Child Protection Unit and Child Welfare Committee will visit the spot on Monday. At present, the girls need counseling. We are taking initiatives for this.”
Social worker Ankit Rajgarhia has said that the Jharkhand High Court should take suo motu cognizance and order the district administration to take strict action. Also, a case should be registered under POCSO.
Apoorva Vivek is a lawyer. Her organization ‘Hasiya: Socio-Legal Center for Women’ works for the legal rights of women.
She tells BBC, “At first glance, this is a clear case of sexual harassment. Section 9 of the POCSO Act states that if someone sexually assaults a child and forces the child to undress or parade naked in public, a case will be registered. However, in this case, the court will look at the intention behind doing this, whether sexual abuse has been done intentionally or not.”
The family is currently waiting for action from the district administration in this case. In case of no concrete action, they are preparing to go to court.
