DHARMAPURI: Pointing out the increasing number of incidents where female students of Avvaiyar Government Girls Higher Secondary School (GGHSS) were harassed outside the school premises, residents filed a petition with the administration seeking to improve security between the school and the Dharmapuri bus stand.
On Monday, during a grievance day meeting, concerned parents filed a petition with Collector K Santhi seeking the administration and police to heighten vigilance here, alleging that there is a severe lack of safety for teenage girls studying in the school.
Speaking to TNIE, N Venkatesh, a concerned parent from Nattanpuram said, “Avvaiyar school have thousands of students arriving from various parts of the district for education. These students ply back and forth to the Dharmapuri bus stand daily to reach their homes. However, most of these teens are often verbally teased.”
Venkatesh added, “In most cases, these children hail from poor backgrounds and are reluctant to issue complaints. The police deploy security only at the school gates. Security guards should be deployed all the way to the bus stand which lies only about 500 metres away from the school.”
“Moreover, many bikers ride very rashly, startling students travelling in cycles, who sometimes fall on the roads, this must also be stopped,” he added.
When TNIE spoke to police, they said, “We conduct regular drives to ensure that students are safe inside and outside the school. We also hold awareness programmes and meet the students to get first-hand reports so that we take the necessary steps. We have also given our numbers to school authorities so that students can contact us anonymously about their concerns.”