Following the complaint, the education officials visited the school and held an inquiry with the principal, teachers, and students.
In the complaint, the student stated that she was harassed and forced to wipe the other students' shoes, which she refused to do.
In a shocking incident, the parent of a Class VII girl hailing from a Muslim community alleged that their daughter was humiliated for her food choice in a government high school at Ashokapuram in Coimbatore.
The parents also alleged that school teachers, Abinaya and Rajkumar, forced their daughter to wipe other students’ shoes with her “pardha”.
Speaking to reporters, after launching a complaint with the chief educational officer (CEO), the girl’s father, Mukhtar, said that the humiliation continued for three months, after the teachers learnt that he runs a beef stall.
“Since then, the female teacher has humiliated my daughter on her food preferences. She told my daughter that those who consume beef are arrogant, and so are you,” the father said.
After the child revealed the humiliation she faced to her parents, they brought the issue to the knowledge of the school principal.
On 10 November, two days before Deepavali, the female teacher harassed and threatened the student for complaining about her to the school management and the principal.
After the Deepavali holidays, when the school reopened, the parents again met the school principal and requested her to sort out the issue.
However the principal, Rajeswari, did not take any action; instead, the teachers blamed the girl’s parents and relatives for causing a ruckus in the school premises.
The issue was taken to Thudiyalur police station.
“The police visited the school and conducted an inquiry. They also assured the parents that no such incidents would happen in the future. But the very next day, the teacher Rajkumar, in support of the teacher Abinaya, scolded my daughter,” the father said.
Following this, the parents, with the help of a few Muslim organisations, approached CEO R Balamurali and lodged a written complaint, on 21 November.
In the complaint, the student stated that she was harassed and forced to wipe the other students’ shoes, which she refused to do.
“My refusal triggered the teacher and she started to harass me regularly. She scolded me in front of other students for eating beef and also stated that I am arrogant because of my eating habits,” the student stated.
She also alleged that because of the attitude and harassment of the teachers, she could not concentrate on her studies and it is affecting her performance.
Following the complaint, the CEO visited the school and held an inquiry with the principal, teachers, and students.
During the inquiry, the headmistress Rajeswari denied the allegations and stated that no such incident happened during school hours.
She also reportedly told the officials that she was puzzled why such allegations were made against those teachers.
However, the Education Department officials have assured the girl and her parents that no such incidents would happen in the future.
Speaking to South First, the girl’s father said that they were pained by the continuous harassment and he hasn’t decided whether to put his daughter in another school or to continue in the same school.
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