In a blatant act of vandalism, a statue of Gautama Buddha at Government Central High School, Attakulangara has been shattered. The head and right shoulder of the statue - a meditating Buddha on a lotus - were found lying in pieces on the ground on Saturday evening.
No complaint has been registered in this regard at the nearby Fort police station as of Sunday evening, according to the police. This would probably be because the authorities at Attakulangara school themselves are unaware of this contemptible act. While the headmistress of the school remained unavailable for comment, the director of SIEMAT, which also functions on the school compound, seemed to be clueless when contacted by Express.
“I have not been intimated about this,” said SIEMAT director E Valsala Kumar, adding that he would be looking into the matter.
Moreover, there appears no chance that a fallen branch could have led to the shattering of the statue because there was no debris suggestive of this, say those who first came upon the damage. “The fragments of the statue were lying all around the pedestal and there was a wooden pole driven into the ground next to it, which was probably used for breaking the statue,” said Balachandran, a member of the nature lovers’ group Tree Walk, which has been regularly visiting the school to campaign against the takeover of a part of the school compound by Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA).
That such an act could take place in broad daylight calls to attention the very real issue of safety of the school and its students.
“The gates of the school compound always remain open for SIEMAT and the authorities there have not, despite our repeated pleas, agreed to keep them shut and employ a full-time security guard. At present, the guard is on duty only after office hours, in the night,” said Gomathy Ganesan of the school protection committee.
The sole gate of the school compound opens to the stop for buses bound for places like Manacaud, Thiruvallom, Poonkulam and Kovalam. The state of affairs, said school officials, is such that anyone can walk in at any time.
“Many KSRTC bus drivers and conductors just use the school compound as a toilet,” a teacher, who wished to remain unnamed, said.