Karnataka: Another video of students cleaning toilet goes viral
A video showing two students cleaning toilets in a government school in Karnataka's Chikkaballapur district has gone viral, triggering uproar online. This is the fourth such incident in the state in two months. Similar reports had surfaced from government schools in Kolar, Bengaluru, and Shivamogga districts earlier. Taking cognizance of the incident, the state government has launched a probe into the Chikkaballapur case, reports said.
State government team visits school after viral video
The incident in Chikkaballapur prompted a visit by a state government team to the school, NDTV reported. The team interacted with the students and recorded their statements. In one of the earlier incidents, students were sent down toilet pits in a residential school in Kolar district. In another, self-cleaning duties were enforced at a government school in Bengaluru. Another incident was reported from Shivamogga in December 2023, where students were forced to clean school toilets.
Watch: Purported video of the incident
Deputy CM Shivakumar issued warning
After the video of the previous Shivamogga incident went viral, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar issued a warning to "those forcing children to undertake such tasks." He also warned of strict action against authorities found responsible. The headmistress of the Shivamogga school was later suspended. The back-to-back incidents have triggered calls for immediate action to prevent further occurrences.
Karnataka government warns of legal action against schools
The surge in such incidents also prompted the Karnataka Department of Public Education to issue an order banning government schools from forcing students to clean toilets. It also warned of disciplinary and criminal action against offenders. The department has clarified that students can be engaged "only in academic, sports, and co-curricular activities" and not for cleaning toilets. It also instructed School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) to prioritize school grants for the maintenance of toilets followed by other utilities.
