Sainik students revolt against Principal, allege highhandedness
Contrasting claims muddy issue
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 25 2011: For the second time in two years, students of Sainik School, Imphal staged an open revolt against the school authority, disrupting normal functioning of the institution.

On November 26 last year, students of the school had gone on the rampage.

Trouble started brewing last night while the students were having their dinner and a son of the Principal, Colonel Ravi Kumar, allegedly started throwing his weight around and taunting the others that he can have the others expelled from the school.

This incensed the other students thereby leading to an uproar, said sources.

The genesis of last night's trouble can be traced to July 14 this year, when the Principal reportedly caned three students on the alleged ground that they had manhandled his son, who is a Class IX student of the school.

While punishing the three students, the Principal reportedly spat on one of them and verbally abused him, according to sources.

However when The Sangai Express contacted the Army spokesman this evening, he said that on July 14, the Principal had pulled up a student of Class IX for bullying a student of Class VII.

The Class IX student however explained that it was not bullying but just some "fun", and thereafter a chart was drawn up to identify what constitute bullying and what constitute "fun" .

The chart was drawn up with the consent of the senior students, said the spokesman and added that accordingly a code of conduct was also drawn up wherein it was agreed that any student notching up 100 negative points would be given the marching order.

However students of Class VIII, IX and X suddenly demanded that the code of conduct should be withdrawn, alleging that it was harassment, last night.

After discussing the matter raised by the students, the Principal decided to suspend the code of conduct, said the spokesman and added that a meeting with the parents and guardians of the students was held today.

The parents expressed their desire that the code of conduct be implemented again, but the Principal refused, said the spokesman adding that later while a meeting was on between the Principal and the students, some teachers of the school, fearing that the Principal was being manhandled barged inside the room.

This prompted the students to let go a volley of profanities against the teachers, among whom were lady teachers too.

To clear the matter a meeting has been scheduled with the parents on Sunday, July 31 .

According to information culled from outside the school today, the Principal's son boasted to his classmates after dinner last night saying, "I can expel you from school whenever I wish" .

These words outraged the students of Class IX and trouble erupted within the school campus.

The students assembled in the school auditorium and vandalised all the furniture kept there.

The anguished students were joined by their seniors this morning and they marched together towards the school gate to stage a protest demonstration.

But the gate was locked before they could pass it.

They went back to the auditorium and skipped classes.

To ward off further untoward incidents, a team of Imphal East District Police was stationed within the school campus.

The students have been demanding transfer of the present Principal and replacement with another one.

One officer representing the school authority conceded that there was a problem.

However, he claimed that the matter has been (resolved after a joint meeting with guardians.

The officer did not explain what exactly was the problem.

This is the second time students revolted against the present Principal.

On November 26 last year, Sainik School students raised a hue and cry demanding transfer of the same Principal.

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