17 students face rustication for attacking principal

At least 17 girl students of a government school in North East Delhi face rustication after they allegedly attacked their principal accusing her of failing them “deliberately” in supplementary examinations of Class IX and XI.

The incident took place in the Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School (GGSSS) in Yamuna Vihar on Tuesday when some students of class IX and XI and their parents allegedly held principal Kanchan Jain hostage and damaged school property. They had accused Jain of “deliberately” failing 90 per cent of the students in the two classes in the supplementary examination.

“The students turned so violent that the police had to lock the principal inside her office till the mob was dispersed. They even pelted stones at her office and her car following which we had to call police,” a senior official at the school said.

“We have identified 17 students through the help of CCTV footage who were involved in stone pelting and they will be rusticated. We will also file FIRs against the parents who attacked the principal,” the official said, adding, the school authorities are in discussion with the Directorate of Education (DoE) over the issue. Five people, all family members of the students, were arrested on the same day for rioting, criminal trespass, damage to property and other charges. Out of 817 students in class IX, 256 had passed in March while the rest reappeared for the exam, which saw only 31 of them clearing it.

Responding to allegations that the school deliberately failed the students, a DoE official asked: “Why would a principal whose performance is judged on the basis of students’ performance deliberately fail them? How can we pass them if they have not written anything in the exam.”