COIMBATORE: Childline officials in Coimbatore on Monday conducted an inquiry with students and teachers at the Government Tribal Residential Higher Secondary School in Anaikatti following allegations that teachers assaulted Class 11 Scheduled Tribe (ST) students.
According to school sources, officials from Childline visited the school on Monday and questioned the two Class 11 ST students who had allegedly been assaulted by two different teachers, one of whom reportedly pulled out a student's hair. They also spoke with other students about the incident and questioned the teachers and headmaster.
Following the inquiry, the officials will prepare a report and submit it to the district collector. Earlier, after the media reported on October 31 that a student had allegedly been assaulted by a teacher, the collector ordered an inquiry into the matter, sources said.
An activist from Anaikatti told TNIE that on October 28, a science teacher allegedly assaulted an ST student by pulling out his hair in the classroom for not completing his homework.
Following the incident,the student did not attend school due to fever and headache, the activist said. Similarly, another ST student also from Jambukandi studying in the same class had dropped out of school after a teacher assaulted him, he added.
"Meanwhile, after the incident became widely reported, a few teachers allegedly visited the student's house on Saturday evening and advised him that such an incident will not happen again.
They also allegedly told him that if anyone asked about the incident,he should say that the teachers had not assaulted him. Following this,two students returned to school on Monday.
During inquiry, the students allegedly told the inquiry officers that the teacher had not assaulted them,resulting in incorrect information being provided to the inquiry officials,"he alleged. Repeated attempts to reach P Manimegalai, district Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare officer, went in vain.