In a horrifying incident at a middle school in Keravahi village under the Makdi block of Kondagaon district in southern Chhattisgarh, the palms of 25 students were seared with hot oil. The disturbing event, which came to light on 8 December, specifically targeted eighth-grade students over alleged cleanliness issues. Emerging reports indicate that teachers might have forced the children to inflict this painful punishment on each other.
The incident took place last Thursday after lunch when teachers noticed someone had defecated outside the toilet. When the teachers inquired about the responsible student, silence prevailed out of fear. In response, the teachers reportedly imposed a punishment, instructing the application of warm oil on all children’s palms to uncover the identity of the student behind the imprudent act.
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Enraged parents levelled grave accusations against the teachers and claimed that they had forced the children to apply warm oil on each other’s palms. The oil was sourced from a pot on the stove intended for cooking the midday meal, they added.
Distressing images of children went viral on social media, prompting the education department to set up a team to inquire into the matter. The team submitted its report to District Education Officer Madulika Tiwari and pointed out negligence on the part of Headmaster Johar Markam and two teachers Mitali Verma and Poonam Thakur. The Headmaster and the two teachers were subsequently suspended while a janitor was terminated from service.
However, the report contradicted the parents’ claims that the incident had occurred in the presence of teachers. District Collector Deepak Soni emphasized that appropriate action will be taken against the guilty after a proper inquiry to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
