Irate parents and guardians staged a protest outside a Kolkata school on Monday, 12 March, accusing the school authorities of forcing students to admit that they were engaging in homosexual activities during school hours.
Parents and guardians stormed the office of the acting headmistress and argued with her, accusing the management of Kamala Girls School in south Kolkata of having cornered the students into writing about their sexual orientation.
When asked about the case, Shikha Saha, the headmistress of the school, denied that the authorities had forced the students to write about their sexual orientation. She told The Quint on 13 March: “We didn't make the students write anything. They wrote that they were lesbians on their own volition. Why we have a problem with that is an internal matter. Everything is sorted now. The students are in their classes.”
When asked to explain why she thought being a lesbian was “a problem”, Saha refused to comment.
As per a report by IANS, the acting headmistress had said: "Some students complained against ten students of indulging in such behaviour. We called those students and they admitted it. Considering the sensitive nature of the issue, I asked them to admit it in writing. I have got written admissions from all ten students".
"We called the guardians to apprise them of the issue. Our aim was to discuss the matter with them so that we can bring these girls on the right course through efforts both at home and in school", she was quoted as saying.
A guardian told IANS: "If two persons hold hands, or put an arm on each other shoulders, that does not mean they are lesbians".
(With inputs from IANS)
(This is a developing story and will be updated)
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