A school in Kerala thinks locking up students for non-payment of fee is apt punishment

The News Minute | February 4, 2015 | 10.40 am ISTAround 250 students of a CBSE school in Kozhikode were allegedly locked up in a hall for hours for non-payment of fees. Two kids also fainted and were taken to hospital.The alleged incident took place at the Hill Top Public School in Puthiyara which is run by Thiruvananthapuram-based Manarul Huda Trust.On Tuesday morning, when few representatives of Parent Teachers Association (PTA) visited the school, they noticed that students were locked up inside the conference hall in front of the school building and they informed the police immediately.When the police arrived at the school, the principal told them that he did not lock them up but made the students, who had not paid the fee, sit in a separate classroom. Police told The News Minute that they have filed charges against the school principal, vice-principal and accounts officer under Juvenile Justice Act and section 342 of IPC.Students also complained that they were denied water and felt suffocated when they were locked up in the congested classroom.“When we questioned the authorities they denied the allegations. But students and parents have told us that they were locked inside, and denied water” said sub inspector, Medical College police station, Kozhikode.According to the police, the school has issues with the affiliation and it had only a temporary affiliation from the government. “There were some legal problem related to affiliation of the school, so due to this uncertainty parents denied to pay the fees” said the inspector.Tweet