Dalit School Girls Forced to Clean Toilets in Madurai, Case Taken to Madras High Court
After the issue came to light in February this year, protests by parents and villagers led to the transfer of the concerned staff to another school.
A Dalit woman has filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday demanding compensation for and a probe into an incident in which her daughter and other students were allegedly compelled to clean toilets at a government school in Virudhunagar district.
Alleging discrimination against schedule caste students at the government high school situated in Inamreddiyapatty in Virudhunagar district, I Vijayalakshmi, a daily wage labourer and a mother of a Class 7 girl in the school filed the petition. She said that the conservancy staff – a non-Dalit – had compelled and threatened her daughter and other students to clean staff toilet, water tank and tiffin boxes of the teachers.
After the issue came to light in February this year, protests by parents and villagers led to the transfer of the concerned staff to another school. Vijayalakshmi also claimed that when the students complained to their parents they sought an explanation from the school and sent representations to the district authorities, but no action was initiated on their representations.
Following agitations by the villagers, the police intervened. However, they turned against the agitators and remanded three persons. The petitioner demanded appropriate compensation for the hardship the students experienced as they were compelled to clean toilets even though a dedicated person was appointed for cleaning the school premises. Justice M.S. Ramesh, taking up the plea for hearing, directed notice to Virudhunagar district authorities and adjourned the case for further hearing till June 20.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2018 09:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).