THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an act of high-handedness, a police team allegedly assaulted plus-two students for bursting crackers inside Government Model Higher Secondary School in Varkala, on Monday. They entered the school campus on the complaint by school principal. Visuals of the police team in the school campus went viral on social media.
They picked up Sudheesh, a plus two student and dragged him out of the school campus. When he refused to go with them, they kicked him and used baton to make him comply. They took him to the police station along with another student named Malik.
The students later complained that the policemen continued the assault inside the police vehicle and at the station. Sudheesh is part of the state Kabaddi team which is set for national meet on November 7. The students were later released on bail. However, their parents protested against police assault outside the Varkala station.
The school was in a celebratory mood on the concluding day of its arts festival when a group of students burst crackers inside the school a day after Diwali. When they refused to return to the class and continued with celebrations, the school principal called the police. “The erring students could have assaulted teachers,” said school principal Lathakumari, justifying her decision. She said she had prior information that a group of students would throw crackers on the stage.
Police justified their action and said the students were involved in criminal cases earlier. “The police acted on the complaint of school principal. The arrested duo was about to assault teachers.” said Varkala CI, Gopakumar.