RAIPUR: In a shocking incident, around 25 female students of a government school in Kondagaon district, Chhattisgarh allegedly suffered burns on their hands after they were forced to pour hot oil on each other’s hands as a punishment.
The teachers found that someone had defecated outside the girl’s toilet at the Kherwahi middle school in Kondagaon district, after which they started questioning the students. Failing to get answers, the students were allegedly asked to pour hot oil, used to cook mid-day meals, on each other’s hands as punishment.
The parents protested and sought action against the teachers involved. On the instruction of the Kondagaon collector Deepak Soni, the district education officer based on a preliminary investigation suspended three teachers.
However, teachers said that they only advised the students to keep the toilet clean and develop the habit of cleanliness.
“The act was totally unacceptable. The students did not keep the toilets clean despite several warnings. Therefore, the children decided to punish themselves.Later, we found that the girls tried to find the culprit. There is an old belief that a guilty person will get blisters on their palm when hot oil is poured. So they used this method. We did not know the girls carried out such irrational practice,” one of the teachers said.
The teachers delivered first aid to the female students as caregivers, it was learnt.
“Based on the initial probe report, the head principal along with the two teachers have been suspended and the sanitation worker was sacked,” said Madhulika Tiwari, the district education officer.