Karnataka shocking news: Despite the repeated warning of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of strict action, another incident of students involved in a school toilet cleaning incident has come to light in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka.
The incident has proved to be a major embarrassment for the Congress government as Minister for Education Madhu Bangarappa hails from the district. The students studying at Guddada Neralakere village in the limits of Komaranahalli gram panchayat were allegedly engaged in cleaning toilets. The video of students cleaning the school toilets went viral on social media today (December 28).
The Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) submitted a complaint in this regard with the Assistant Commissioner, Satyanarayana. It is alleged that the head master Shankarappa and other teachers had engaged the school children to clean toilets.
The parents and activists have demanded action against the accused teachers.
On December 23 (Saturday), the Karnataka Police arrested the headmistress of a government school for allegedly making the children clean toilets in Bengaluru.
The arrest was made following the complaint by the Block Education Officer (BEO) Anjinappa in this regard with the Byadarahalli police station. An incident of school children being asked to clean a septic tank in the premises of the school in Kolar district was also reported recently.
3rd incident in a month in Karnataka:
According to officials, the incident took place on Saturday at a government-run school in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district where students of class six were allegedly asked to clean toilets.
However, when the senior officials of the education department confronted the headmaster, he told them that the students were only asked to pour water and not clean the toilets.
"On Wednesday, I received a 10-second video on WhatsApp in which students were seen cleaning toilets. I immediately instructed the officials concerned to visit the school and conduct a detailed inquiry," a senior education department officer told media.
"The Block Education Officer has submitted a report, based on which I have initiated disciplinary action against the headmaster of the school. This is unacceptable and so, we have suspended Headmaster Shankarappa in connection with the incident in the school last week."
This comes close on the heels of an incident in a state government-run school in Bengaluru where too students were allegedly asked to clean toilets. Following the viral video of the incident, the education department suspended the headmistress of the school.
Following the incident, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa condemned it and termed it shocking and deplorable. He had also instructed the education department to ensure that such incidents don't took place again.
Earlier this month, the principal and two staff members of a residential school in Kolar district too were suspended over allegations that some students were made to clean the soak pit on its premises.
(With agencies inputs)
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