TIRUPPUR: The State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has summoned officials of the school education department and the police to appear in the commission office for questioning on May 7 to inquire into the incident wherein a 13-year-old SC student was flung into a burning garbage pit by two fellow students at a government-aided school in Kunnathur here.
The commission has also summoned the father of the victim boy on the same date to appear in its Chennai office.
V Jayaraj, father of the victim, told TNIE, “My son returned home after medical treatment a month ago. He is currently in good shape. However, we have now decided to enroll him in another school after the summer holidays. Such an incident should not happen again.”
The school administration covered the entire cost of “my son’s treatment”, Jayaraj said, adding that “after obtaining our signatures on a letter regarding this matter, they also handed over Rs 24,000 to my son.”
Acknowledging having been served with a summons, Jayaraj said, “I, too, have received a summons to appear for inquiry on May 7. I will definitely go.”
Similarly, the commission has also summoned the district Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare officer, chief educational officer, district education officer, secretary of the school, and the inspector of Kunnathur police to appear for the inquiry.
“A proper inquiry regarding this incident was conducted by the department of school education. Following the inquiry, we took action against the school’s headmaster and two teachers. Their one-year salary increment has been cancelled. The police have said that there is no caste-based abuse behind this. We will submit all our information to the commission,” said a senior official of the school education department.
On the evening of January 30, the garbage pit on the school premises was set on fire. The victim (Class VIII boy) had gone there after school hours to dump his class trash.
At that time, two fellow students allegedly held his hands and legs, and threw him into the burning garbage. The boy sustained severe burns and was later admitted to a hospital in Coimbatore. The victim’s parents have claimed caste-based abuse behind this incident.
Denying the charge, the Kunnathur police said the students were playfully pushing one another and in that process, the boy may have accidentally fallen into the pit. The school administration and the victim’s parents have allegedly reached a compromise in this matter.