Students wearing Ayyappa garlands were allegedly sent home by the headmistress of a government school in Tumakuru. The teacher, Bhagya, however, denied the allegation and said she explained the rule on the instructions of the BEO. The children have not been sent but have been kept in isolation. A complaint has been lodged with the DDPI in this regard.
A school headmistress has been accused of sending two Class 6 students wearing Ayyappa garlands to school. A similar incident had taken place earlier in Chikkamagaluru. Now there is a strong opposition to the attitude of the teacher of Tumkur. The headmistress said that the children were not expelled and the students were misunderstood.
Teacher denies charges
The headmistress of the school, Bhagya, has been accused of sending back two Class VI students for wearing Ayyappa garlands. “I have not sent any student out of the school,” the headmistress said. The BEO told me that as per the rules, wearing garland and Diksha clothes is not allowed in the school. That’s what I told the children.
DDPI lodges complaint against teacher
The teacher said that I have not thrown out the children, there is an arrangement to cook eggs in the afternoon in the school. Also, some of the students are likely to be menstruating and I have made the children sit separately so that they do not become a milestone. They have misinterpreted it. There is confusion in this regard and it will be brought to the notice of the BEO. However, the Hindu Hita Raksha Manch has filed a complaint with the DDPI alleging that the religious faith of the children has been disrupted. The education department has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Similar incident in Chikkamagaluru
On December 1, the principal of MES PU College in Chikkamagaluru objected to three students coming to class wearing Ayyappa garlands and sent them out. As soon as the news spread, hundreds of Hindu organizations, including BJP district president Devaraj Shetty, came to the college and expressed their anger against the college administration. At the same time, there is confusion about the children coming to school and college wearing garlands again.