Govt school students in Bengaluru forced to clean toilets, headmistress suspended
Bengaluru, Dec 22: Close on the heels of an incident in Kolar where school students were 'forced' to clean the soakpit, another incident of pupils being allegedly asked to clean toilets at a government school here has come to light.
In a viral video, some of the students were purportedly seen cleaning the toilet at Andrahalli in the city. Following the incident, parents of students expressed outrage and staged a protest outside the school campus demanding strict action against its administration.
Acting swiftly, the education department suspended the headmistress of the school, officials said.
Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar told reporters here that he has called a meeting at 3 pm to inquire about the incident and assured strict action in the matter.
"I have called for a meeting at 3pm. I will inquire about it and get the actual report. There was another similar incident in the past and we have taken legal action against it," he said.
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Noting that children should be raised properly and made strong, Shivakumar said there are arrangements to clean toilets in schools.
"We shouldn't misuse the children. Earlier NSS, Seva Dal camps use to give training for kids to clean the garden, planting the saplings but we haven't given anyone permission to rope in children for cleaning the toilets," he pointed out.
Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa condemned the incident and termed it 'shocking' and 'deplorable'.
"... there is no doubt that we will take the strictest action as per law. Further, I will ensure that such incidents don't repeat and will ensure that all action is taken by our department," he said.
Earlier this month, the principal and two staff members of a school in Kolar district were suspended over allegations that some students were made to clean the soak pit on its premises.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
