CLAIM
An article published in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Organiser magazine claims that a student of TDTA Good Shepherd High School in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district (Thoothukudi) was punished for wearing “mala, black shirts for Sabarimala.”
As punishment, he was allegedly asked to clean toilets in Sabarimala Deeksha attire and burnt his hands when acid fell on his hands.
“On seeing the boy coming with black dress with mala on his neck, his class teacher wanted to punish him. In a obvious move to demean the Deeksha dress he was wearing and sanctity attached to it, the teacher asked him to clean the toilets in the same attire (sic),” added the article.
Several social media users shared the same set of images on Twitter and Facebook with a similar claim and gave the incident a communal colour.
TRUE OR FALSE?
While the incident is from TDTA Good Shepherd High School, the boy seen in the image was not punished for wearing mala and black shirt, as claimed.
As per an article published by The Times of India, the school headmaster had asked some students to clean chemistry lab when an acid bottle fell on the boy because of which he burnt his left hand and toes.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We searched on Google using keywords “shepherd school tuticorin” and found an article published by The Times of India on 5 December with the headline, “Two boys suffer acid burns while cleaning TN school lab.”
According to the article, six students namely Maharaja, Pramodh, Velraj, Murugaperuman, Jayakumar and Vasurajan of government-aided TDTA Good Shepherd High School were asked to clean a chemistry laboratory by the headmaster because an “important person” was coming to school.
While cleaning the lab, an acid bottle broke and fell on Maharaja because of which he suffered injuries on left hand and toes.
“We were asked to dispose of the waste from the laboratory. I was carrying a bottle of acid. A boy behind me stumbled and fell on me. My bottle did not break, but his bottle broke and fell on me,” Maharaja told reporters, TOI reported.
A Gnanagowri, chief education officer of Tuticorin district, told TOI that district education officer of Tuticorin was “conducting a departmental inquiry into the incident.”
Speaking to The Quint, she condemned the headmaster’s decision of asking students to clean the lab and informed that he has been suspended.
“There is no communal or religious angle to the incident. All the six students belong to different communities. As per a medical report, the acid bottles caused 15 percent injuries on the left hand of one of the boys.”A Gnanagowri, chief education officer of Tuticorin district
The TOI article further reported that the boys were immediately taken to a private hospital in Tuticorin and were later referred to Thoothukudi Government Medical College and Hospital.
Thus, the incident did take place in Good Shepherd High School but the boy in the image was not asked to clean toilets for wearing ayyappa mala. There is no communal or religious angle to the incident.
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