Yet another incident of students being forced to clean school toilets emerged in Shivamogga district, Karnataka, on Thursday. The students were compelled to engage in cleaning activities despite repeated warnings from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about strict action. This incident has once again posed a significant embarrassment for the Congress government, especially as Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa hails from the district.
In Guddada Neralakere village, Komaranahalli gram panchayat, students were reportedly involved in cleaning toilets. A viral video on Thursday showed students engaged in this task. The Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) filed a complaint with Assistant Commissioner Satyanarayana, alleging the involvement of headmaster Shankarappa and other teachers in making the students clean the toilets.
Following this, parents and activists started demanding action against the accused teachers. On December 23, the Karnataka Police arrested the headmistress of a government school in Bengaluru for allegedly forcing children to clean toilets. The arrest followed a complaint by Block Education Officer (BEO) Anjinappa with the Byadarahalli police station. Another incident was reported recently in Kolar district, where school children were asked to clean a septic tank on school premises.