Parents angry after 82 pupils' hair cut unevenly at Chimur ashram school; superintendent served notice

Parents are angry over the cutting of children's hair at the Jambhulghat ashram school in Chimur taluka. It is alleged that the hair of about 82 pupils of the government secondary ashram school was cut in an odd manner. According to the allegation, the superintendent had asked the barber to do this in the name of discipline. Headmaster Prashant Giri has served the superintendent a show-cause notice.

The residential ashram school comes under the Chimur tribal project and has about 550 boys and girls. The children live on the premises, so the school administration is responsible for everything from their lodging to daily discipline. A barber has been appointed at the government level to cut the children's hair, and Saturday and Sunday are fixed for it.

On Saturday, at about 4 pm, hair-cutting was under way on the campus as usual. Meanwhile, some pupils were playing on the premises. It is alleged that the superintendent, angered by this, told the barber to shave off half the hair on the children's heads and to run the trimmer in an odd fashion. Following this order, the hair of about 82 children was cut unevenly. Parents say the act, done without the children's consent and hurting their self-respect, has deeply affected their minds and feelings.

There is also talk in the area that the superintendent was drunk at the time. This claim has not been officially confirmed so far, but demands for an impartial inquiry into the suspicion are growing.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, headmaster Prashant Giri issued the superintendent a show-cause notice. The headmaster explained that he had gone to Chimur for an urgent errand for an hour. As soon as the pupils told him everything on his return, he issued the notice to the superintendent.

Parents say the matter cannot be hushed up merely by issuing a show-cause notice. They have angrily asked who gave the superintendent the right to inflict such a humiliating punishment on children. They have demanded strict action against the headmaster as well as the superintendent.

They say the administration is responsible for protecting the dignity of tribal pupils as well as their safety. Parents therefore want senior officials to look into the incident themselves, investigate, hear the affected pupils and take immediate action against those found guilty. All eyes are now on what steps the Chimur tribal project and the Tribal Development Department take in this serious matter.