Tamil Nadu: Government school headmistress suspended after students from SC community made to clean toilet

COIMBATORE: Headmistress of a government high school in Tirupur district was placed under suspension on Saturday for abusing students from scheduled caste by using their caste name and making them clean school toilets.

Based on the enquiry with students and the headmistress, a report was submitted by district education officer following which district chief education officer (CEO) R Ramesh placed the headmistress under suspension.

There are about 400 students from class 6-10 and 14 teachers in the government high school in Iduvai village.

Headmistress Geetha

, 45 was working in the school for the last 3 years.

Speaking to TOI, the CEO said that he received a complaint from a section of students from class 9 and 10 from the school on Friday. While it includes students from the scheduled caste community, they said that they were abused by the headmistress using their caste name. Further she made students belonging from the scheduled caste clean toilets.

“I visited the school with the team that carried the inquiry and

prima facie

could be established following which she was placed under suspension. A complaint has also been lodged in the

Mangalam

police station based on the inquiry,” said the CEO R Ramesh.

Senior officials from the

school education department

said that department action will be carried against the headmistress and she is likely to be booked under Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.