Girl students of a government higher secondary school in Bhopal on Wednesday created a ruckus in protest against harsh punishment by the woman administrator.
Viral videos showed hundreds of students protesting, damaging classroom furniture, pulling ceiling fan blades, breaking electronic gadgets, and smashing windows and door glasses.
The incident took place at the Sarojini Naidu Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Bhopal.
According to students, for being 10-15 minutes late, they were subjected to harsh punishments such as removing grass from the ground, forcing them to clean toilets, and making them stand in the Sun.
“Merely because we got late by 10-15 minutes, the school administration forced us to remove grass from the ground and made us stand in the Sun,” a student said in a viral video.
Some students had collapsed because of the harsh punishment, she added.
The students also raised the issue of the poor condition of washrooms and insufficient water supply at the Madhya Pradesh government school.
Following the uproar, the woman administrator – former armed forces captain Varsha Jha — was removed from her position by the authorities.
Jha was appointed only a month ago. She has reportedly apologised to the students.
According to local media reports, the students are also upset about the school timings. They claim school finishes at 6 pm which makes it difficult for many girls who live far away.
The Director of the Madhya Pradesh government’s Education Department also visited the school to take stock of the situation.
An inquiry has been ordered to look into allegations, including ill-treatment and the poor condition of the school facilities.
On allegations of students being forced to clean toilets, District Education Officer (DEO) NK Ahirwar said that action would be taken after an inquiry.
The girls were enraged because of the punishment awarded to them by the administration for coming late by 10-15 minutes and resorted to protest, he said.
“After hearing from students, it seems the behaviour of Varsha Jha was not good towards them. It seems she used to deal with them very strictly,” he said.