Principal, parents clash over punishment for student for being late; suo motu case filed in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A viral video showing an argument between a school principal and parents over a student being made to stand in the playground for arriving late prompted Yelahanka police to register a suo motu case.In the video, which circulated widely Friday, a small group of students can be seen waiting in the playground, partly in the shade. Another clip shows a heated exchange between the principal and parents. A parent is heard saying that the child gets a headache if he stands in the sun. Responding in English, the principal asks whether the students do not play in the sun. Another person then asks the principal to speak in Kannada, but the principal continues in English, stating that it is not necessary to speak Kannada.The video was widely shared with claims that a Class 1 student had been made to stand in the sun for two hours for reaching school a few minutes late. Following the viral posts, the Yelahanka New Town police registered a suo motu non-cognisable report (NCR)."We came to know about the incident after seeing a post uploaded by an activist on his social media account, which later went viral. After verifying the facts, we found that the boy was not a Class 1 student as claimed in the post but a Class 8 student at a private school," a police officer said. The boy had reached school about 10 minutes late, along with a few other students. The school management allegedly did not allow them to enter their respective classes and asked them to wait in the shade near the compound wall for some time, the officer said.Later in the afternoon, the boy complained to his parents of a severe headache. The parents alleged that the punishment had caused the headache. A group of activists then accompanied the parents to the school and questioned the principal about it.During the argument, the principal responded to the questions in English. The activists insisted that she speak in Kannada, but the principal refused.After police registered a suo motu non-cognisable report (NCR), the school management also filed a complaint Saturday, leading to the registration of another NCR.Pro-Kannada activists also approached police to lodge a complaint. "We informed them that an NCR had already been registered," said GK Mithun Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (North-East).An officer said police asked the social media account holder to delete the video as it showed the faces of the boy and the school management, violating provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. The video has since been deleted. BOX: Action against principal"It is an unfortunate incident. While the issue began with a Class 8 student being asked to stand outside, it soon turned into a controversy over the principal not speaking in Kannada. She can speak Kannada well; however, she was provoked by the parents and relatives who came to meet her. That said, she should not have stated that it is not necessary to speak in Kannada. Action has been taken against her," said a school management representative.