School students belonging to different castes clash; two injured, case filed against 22
Two students of the Government Model Higher Secondary School at Valliyoor in Tirunelveli district suffered injuries to the head in a clash that broke out on Tuesday between two groups.
When the students came out of their classrooms during the forenoon break, a sudden clash erupted among the two groups of students belonging to the Scheduled Caste and an Intermediate caste group respectively. Teachers intervened and stopped the clash, and the injured students were admitted to a private hospital in Valliyoor for treatment.
Upon being alerted by the teachers, the Valliyoor police rushed to the spot and took 15 students from both the sides for questioning. Later, they registered a case against 22 students — 11 each from both the sides — and sent them to the Government Observation Home in Palayamkottai.
It was found during interrogation that there was a scuffle between students of these groups about ten days ago at the school. “Following this incident, an unidentified student scribbled derogatory remarks against a particular community in the school toilet, which triggered the present clash,” sources in the police said.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Nanguneri, Prasanna Kumar; and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Valliyoor, Yogesh, met the students at the school and interacted with them.
It may be noted that last year, a Scheduled Caste boy of a government-aided higher secondary school at Valliyoor and his younger sister were hacked at their residence in Nanguneri by the boy’s schoolmates.
Minor clashes among the students belonging to different caste groups continue to happen in the region. Officials had even ordered the transfer of teachers for their alleged failure in curbing ‘caste animosity’ among students. However, the transfers were put on hold on the intervention of teachers’ associations.
“Teachers should be directed to be present in the school at least for 15 minutes after their working hours every day as most of the clashes happen only then. If the head of the institution is found to be ineffective in controlling the students, he/she should be transferred. Though a similar transfer was done recently in this school, it was put on hold after a teachers’ association intervened,” a senior police officer said.
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