TIRUNELVELI: A video showing six Class 9 girls allegedly drinking alcohol inside a classroom at a government-aided school in Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli, has surfaced on social media, triggering outrage among parents and educationalists.
The video, allegedly recorded by a student, shows schoolgirls in uniform sitting in a circle inside a classroom, with one of them pouring liquor mixed with water into plastic cups and drinking.
According to sources, an inquiry by the school administration confirmed the incident, and after an internal inquiry followed by counselling, the school management had suspended the six students for misconduct. The girls, however, are allowed to visit the school for exams.
Chief Educational Officer M Sivakumar said that he is scheduled to conduct an inquiry at the school on Monday to ascertain how the students procured liquor and who supplied it to them.
Parents have raised severe concerns over the absence of teachers or any other staff during the incident, and urged the authorities to crack down on those supplying liquor to school students.
Meanwhile, PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, in a post on X, said that the rulers should hang their heads in shame over the incident. “If a student has to go to school two kms away, the Tamil Nadu rulers have created a situation where they must pass at least two or three liquor shops on the way.
The DMK government has turned the younger generation into slaves to alcohol. When alcohol is available within reach, and at a short distance for students, the mindset of teenagers tempts them,” he added, listing various such incidents that recently took place across Tamil Nadu.