Kolar: SC/ST students in Malur residential school made to clean septic tank
Kolar: In a shocking incident at Morarji Desai Residential School in Yaluvahalli, Malur taluk, students, all belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, were allegedly forced to clean a septic tank. The incident came to light through a viral video shot by a teacher on a mobile phone.
According to reports, five to six students in Classes 7 to 9 were made to enter and clean the septic tank, with the principal and a teacher present. In the video, the students can be seen sharing their distress, describing the harsh conditions they endure at the school. They allege being subjected to punishment, including kneeling outside the hostel at night, and physical abuse, as captured by CCTV footage.
"We are undergoing a lot of torture here and only wish to escape from here. At nights, we are made to switch the lights off and carry our bags outside the hostel, where we have to kneel down before facing the torture at their hands. Our appeals against such punishment, even if we say we are tired, are ignored." The children can be seen saying.
The school, hosting 250 students from Class 6 to Class 10, with residential staff, has faced severe criticism for the alleged violation of the Abolition of Manual Scavenging Act 1993, which prohibits employing Dalit children for such hazardous tasks.
Nagarathna, District Child Welfare Officer, conducted an immediate visit upon learning of the incident. She submitted a report recommending strict action against the responsible parties to the Joint Director of the Social Welfare Department.
R Srinivas, Joint Director of the Social Welfare Department, confirmed an inspection and instructed the school's principal and teacher not to involve children in such tasks. He has written to higher authorities to take stringent action against the implicated school staff members accused of both the septic tank incident and nighttime torture.
Public outrage has intensified, demanding justice for the students and accountability for the alleged violations.
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Illegally stored gas cylinders seized
Thane (PTI): Authorities have seized illegally stored 1,839 gas cylinders and seven vehicles worth over Rs 67 lakh in the Dombivli MIDC area of Thane district, officials said on Saturday.
A special vigilance team of the Mumbai Rationing Department detected an illegal storage of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders in Phase-2 of Dombivli (East).
Cylinders belonging to multiple gas agencies were found stockpiled in closed vehicles, unauthorised warehouses, and open sheds without mandatory permissions from the Explosives Department, Fire Department, or oil companies, according to an official release.
