KALPETTA: The controversy surrounding the alleged consumption of alcohol by teachers during a school trip in Wayanad took a fresh turn on Friday, with students denying that they had accused the principal. The development came even as the blood test result of Meenangadi Government Higher Secondary School Principal Shibi Krishnan returned negative, with no traces of alcohol detected in his blood.
However, some parents questioned the test result, alleging that the blood sample was collected several hours after the incident, which could have affected the findings.
A group of students who took part in the tour clarified on Friday that they had never accused the principal of consuming alcohol. Instead, they alleged that it was the school PTA president, Hajis Ulladan, who had boarded one of the buses in an inebriated condition during the return journey.
The controversy erupted after the students reportedly informed their parents about the incident. The parents and residents intercepted the principal when the trip team returned, triggering a confrontation. The principal was subsequently taken for a blood test.
The students said the incident occurred on Wednesday when the group was returning from Hyderabad. A total of 133 students had set out for the trip on Sunday in three buses. According to them, Hajis boarded one of the buses while under the influence of alcohol. Following protests from students, he was made to disembark and later returned home in a vehicle arranged by the travel agency.
The students also captured visuals of the PTA president in an allegedly inebriated state and sent them to their parents. Alarmed by the footage, parents reached the school even before the excursion team returned.
However, the parents alleged that the principal had failed to address the students' complaints against the PTA president. They suspected that the principal's alleged failure to intervene had fuelled doubts about his own conduct during the trip.
Meanwhile, Krishnan said he would take legal action against those who had publicly targeted him with allegations.
"My students know my innocence. I will go to any extent legally against those who publicly targeted me with allegations. I suspect some PTA members who had earlier threatened me for not obeying them are behind the issue,“ said Krishnan.