English
Itanagar, November 30: Eighty eight students of a girls’ school in Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly forced to undress by three teachers as a punishment for writing vulgar words against the head teacher. The students were from class VI and VII of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Tani Happa (New Sagalee) in Papum Pare district, police said.
The humiliating incident took place on November 23 but came to light on November 27 after the students approached the All Sagalee Students Union (ASSU), who then filed an FIR with the local police.
According to the complaint, two assistant teachers and a junior teacher forced 88 students to undress before other students following the recovery of a piece of paper containing vulgar words against the head teacher and a girl student.
Confirming the filing of the FIR, Papum Pare Superintendent of Police Tumme Amo said the case has been forwarded to the women police station. “The officer in-charge of the (women) police station said the victims and their parents along with the teachers will be interrogated before registering a case,” Amo said.
A team of All Papum Pare District Students Union (APPDSU) had met the students and teachers on Tuesday, and found that an unidentified student had used vulgar words in a piece of paper mentioning the name of the head teacher and a girl student, a release by APPDSU said.
The teachers demanded an explanation from all the 88 students of classes VI and VII, who were later made to undress before the other students as punishment, it said.
“The school authorities did not speak to the parents of the students before punishing them,” APPDSU president Nabam Tado said.
Condemning the incident, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) said such “heinous act” by the teachers might affect the students. “Tempering with a child’s dignity is against the law as well as the constitution,” it said in a statement.
“To discipline a student is an attitude, character, responsibility and commitment of a teacher. Undressing a student is definitely not a corrective measure…Imposing such punishment is total violation of child rights, and more likely it may accelerate the risk of child abuse,” the party added.
With inputs from PTI
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