BENGALURU: A 35-year-old homemaker and her husband filed a complaint, alleging that their two children were locked up in a room inside their school and harassed by the staff over payment of the academic fee. The school management also filed a counter-complaint against the parents two days later, charging them with barging into the school, shouting at the staff and damaging chairs in the staff room.
According to the complaint filed by Latha, her children, studying in Class 6 and Class 4 in Max Muller School in Girinagar, were locked in a room.
Latha’s husband Chandru told TNIE, “On June 6, when I went to pick up my children, I found them coming out of a room on the ground floor, while their classes are on the first and second floors. My children told me the principal had locked them in a room over the fee issue.”
Chandru said, “The school management asked me to pay Rs 35,000. I insisted that they show me the fee structure prescribed by the Block Education Office but the school management didn’t show it. Every year, they collect excess fee. Last year too, I had raised an objection. This year I asked them to show the fee structure but they turned down my request. So I have not paid the fee yet.”
He said that on the day he went to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and complained about the school’s harassment, the commission spoke to the BEO and assured him that they would solve the issue.
“My children were scared to go to school. I have given them a basic handset and stored two numbers, one is police control room 100 and another number is mine. I asked them to call one if they are locked again. On June 7, I dropped my children to school at 8.20am. By 9.30 am, I got a call from my children, saying that they were locked in the room again. So I went to the school with Latha and asked the management to show where my children were locked. There was a heated argument over the issue and finally, I took my kids to Girinagar police station. I learnt that the school was planning to file a false case against me for vandalising their premises,” he added.
Praveena T, the principal, filed a complaint with Girinagar police against Chandru and Latha on June 8. She alleged that Chandru and Latha had barged into the staffroom, abused the teachers and broke chairs. When TNIE contacted Praveena, there was no response.