A controversy has surfaced in Karnataka's Kolar district, where students from a school were compelled to manually clean toilets and excrement pits, a situation deemed inhumane by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The incident, which occurred a few days ago, gained attention when photos went viral on Sunday.
Approximately five to six students, ranging from the seventh to ninth grades, were tasked with cleaning a pit at Morarji Desai Residential School. Another distressing incident at the same school involved children enduring an overnight punishment, wherein they were required to hold a hands-up kneel-down position with heavy bags on their backs. One boy fainted during this punishment due to exhaustion and dehydration, with the incident gaining public attention after a video circulated on social media.
In response to these matters, a committee from the state's social welfare department visited the school and is expected to file a complaint with the Kolar police.
Kolar's Superintendent of Police (SP), Narayana M, expressed that the school lacked a permanent warden, and he mentioned that a case would be registered against the warden-in-charge, Muniyappa, and two other individuals. The police will also investigate whether the school outsourced toilet cleaning to a private agency and whether such practices occurred in other branches of the school.
Under the Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, manual scavenging is prohibited in the country.
The opposition, particularly BJP MLA Basanagouda R Patil, strongly condemned the incident, describing it as "inhumane" in a post on X. Patil emphasized that such actions are punishable offenses under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, and urged swift legal action against the perpetrators, urging the government to take strict measures.
