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`Prohibit school authorities from calling in police'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI SEPT. 20. The Campaign for Custodial Justice and Abolition of Torture (CCJAT) has urged the inclusion of a specific rule in the Education department rules to prohibit school authorities from summoning police inside the premises and also called for standing orders to be passed to the police not to enter school premises during working hours.

The CCJAT made this observation in its report of the fact-finding investigation into the alleged infringement of the rights of 15 Plus-Two students of the MGR Government Higher Secondary School, when they were detained at the K.K.Nagar police station on August 27. The fact-finding team, which released the report to the media on Friday, concluded that the students were innocent and that they had not indulged in misbehaviour.

``They are not responsible for breaking windows or damaging doors and benches. They did not indulge in eve-teasing or consume liquor on the school premises,'' the report said, adding the charges against the students were completely false. The team had met eight of the students, parents of three of the children, school authorities and officials of the Education and police departments.

S. Paramasivam, Director of School Education, according to the team, told them that the headmistress should not have called the police. Among the other conclusions, the team maintained that the students were all victimised as they tried to take efforts to improve the conditions in the school. It described taking pictures of the students in the police stations ``illegal'' and that those responsible should be dealt with sternly.

Among the recommendations, the team members said that firstly, the headmistress and staff council should tender their apology to all the students who were taken to the police station. It called for prohibition of collection of any form of donation or contribution through students.

Further, counselling for students by experts should be provided immediately in all schools. ``Special training should be imparted to teachers to deal with specific problems of poor students,'' the team said. If the school authorities had to take disciplinary action against the students, they must first convene the staff council and seek its advice and also get an opinion from the Parent-Teacher Association.

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