Parents of nearly 20 students from St. Anthony Girls’ High School in Chembur have lodged complaints with the education department, alleging that their daughters were barred from attending classes for applying mehndi on their hands.
The school, however, denied the allegations, stating that the students were only asked to wait in the hall for a short time as they had violated certain disciplinary rules, such as not bringing leave notes, forgetting ID cards, wearing incomplete uniforms, or failing to submit medical certificates after illness. Some of these students also happened to have mehndi on their hands, the school clarified.
According to the school’s written response, once parents submitted the required documents, the students were allowed to return to their classrooms. During the waiting period, teachers and staff attended to the students in the hall, the school added.
Parents, nonetheless, maintain that their children were unfairly singled out for having mehndi and were made to wait outside their classrooms, causing them embarrassment. They have demanded strict action against the school administration.
Karn Doonbale, General Secretary of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), who visited the school following the complaints, said, “I personally witnessed the incident. Around 20 students were stopped by the school authorities, and it was only after the intervention of an education officer that the school provided a written explanation.”
Officials from the Education Department have stated that a detailed report will be prepared after reviewing all the statements and documents related to the incident.
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