TIRUPPUR: In yet another instance of caste atrocity, two Scheduled Caste girl students, aged 11 and 12, were allegedly forced by the school headmistress to clean toilets of a government school in Dharapuram in Tiruppur district. It is alleged the minors were engaged in the task for the past several months at her bidding.
The two girls are students of Class 6 at the government school at Karungalivalsu in Kolathupalayam in Dharapuram, said various sources. The incident came to light after a resident recorded the statement of the girls and shared it in social media circles in Dharapuram on Tuesday morning.
Speaking to TNIE Eswaran (42), a relative of the girls said, “Both the parents of the girls are daily wagers. The locality where they reside is surrounded by members of the dominant community. When they became aware of the incident, they were shocked and they also resisted the HM’s act, but she responded harshly and they were forced to remain silent. We believe the parents kept mum since the headmistress is from the dominant community and they belong to SC community.
Besides, even after media attention, they refused to speak, fearing backlash from the dominant community members.”
Speaking to TNIE, social activist Ondiveeran said, “It is a government middle school at Karungalivalasu in Dharapuram taluk. These two Class 6 girls are from poor family. It is believed that HM Elamathi Eswari didn’t like both the girls. She reportedly forced the girls to clean the three toilets at the school. When the girls resisted she threatened them with dire consequences and cut their marks. Unable to bear with the threat, the girls reportedly had been cleaning the toilets for the past several months.”
A local villager found the girls cleaning the toilets and informed the HM but she didn’t respond. In order to bring media attention to the incident, a local villager videographed the statement of the girls and circulated it in social media circles in Dharapuram, Ondiveeran explained.
As the parents were afraid to face the wrath of the dominant community, we decided to lodge a complaint with the Tiruppur District Administration, he added.
Meanwhile, HM Ilamathi Eswari refused to comment on the issue.
An official from Tiruppur District Administration said, “Based on the complaint and video, a team of top officials led by revenue divisional officer (Dharapuram) Senthil Arasan, tahsildar and other officials from Education Department inspected the school premises and also conducted inquiry with the HM for several hours. Based on the outcome, appropriate action will be taken.”