TIRUNELVELI: Two students were injured in a caste clash that erupted among the students of Government Higher Secondary School, Valliyoor over insulting a particular caste name by writing on a toilet wall here on Tuesday.
Sources said that the two groups of students involved in the caste clash were belonging to BC and SC communities respectively. The students of a particular community made defamatory remarks against another community by writing their caste names on the walls of the school toilet.
Over this, the students of both the communities engaged in a quarrel. As the quarrel intensified, students of both the groups from Class XI and XII attacked each other. Two students were injured in the incident. Upon hearing this, the police personnel led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Valliyoor Sub-Division R Yogesh Kumar rushed to the school and conducted an inquiry.
When contacted by TNIE, Kumar said that a CSR had been registered on the caste clash in Valliyoor police station. “Ten students from each group who were involved in the clash will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. They will be given advice by the board members,” he added.
The Nanguneri-based SC students, who were studying in a Valliyoor-based government aided school, were hacked by a dominant caste students last year for complaining about the caste-based discrimination with the school headmaster.
Within two months of the school re-opening this academic year, at least five government schools witnessed the caste clash among the students. Following this, the district Collector K P Karthikeyan recommended transfer of teachers who are casteist and facing various criminal cases.
“However, his recommendation was reportedly put on hold after the members of All-Teachers Federation Organisation met with Assembly Speaker M Appavu who spoke with the School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi against the transfer,” said sources.
Speaking to TNIE, CPM district secretary K Sriram demanded the State government to form the district, taluk and school-level committees, comprising activists, students, teachers and parents, to promote social harmony among the school students.
“Retired justice K Chandru committee’s recommendations against the caste clashes among the students should be implemented. The casteist government school teachers should be given severe punishment. The recommendation given by Karthikeyan against such teachers should also be implemented immediately,” he added.