THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the closing ceremony of Kerala School Sports Meet was marred by protests, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said there were deliberate attempts to disrupt the event.
The minister said on Tuesday that the government viewed such ‘condemnable activities’ by a handful of people ‘seriously’.
Tense scenes unfolded at the closing ceremony of the meet on Monday after the results were announced in the Best School category. After the second position was awarded to G V Raja Sports School, Navamukunda HSS, Thirunavaya, moved from the initial second to third spot and Mar Basil HSS, Kothamangalam, which was in second position, fell out from the top three slots.
The minister said Navamukunda HSS lodged a complaint and the school representatives were assured that their concerns would be addressed. However, they paid no heed and attempted to disrupt the closing ceremony. Sivankutty said repeated pleas to both Navamukunda and Mar Basil schools not to disrupt the function were ignored. The minister alleged that attempts were made to disrupt the cultural programme and manhandle volunteers.
He also said the conduct of a few people caused a dent to the honour and prestige of the sports meet. “The general education department condemns attempts to disrupt the meet and will take note of the issue seriously,” he added.
Criticising the conduct of teachers of both schools, Sivankutty said such violent behaviours would pose hassles in the future. The minister also clarified that the Kerala school sports manual was revised in 2018 and it does not distinguish between general school and sports school.