Principal, three teachers arrested over student assault in Kandy boarding school
The principal and three teachers of a boarding school in Bokkawala, Morankanda in Kandy school, which had been in existence for a while, were arrested by the Women and Children Bureau of the Kandy Police, in connection with an incident where a group of children who were studying there had been assaulted and harassed.
Police investigations have revealed that this school which had commenced under registration of a business, provides education to about 250 students.
Classes are held from Grade One up to A Levels and according to the police, children from various areas of the country are studying here.
A 17-year-old girl and two 15-year-old girls who are alleged to have been assaulted had fled from the school hostel on Monday (13), morning and stayed in the Magul Maduwa of the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Two teachers of the school who had been searching for the missing students had seen them and attempted to take them back to the school. The students hadrefused to go back and started yelling. Police officers of the Dalada Maligawa had taken immediate action and questioned the girls. Later they had been handed over to the Women and Children’s Bureau of the Kandy Police for further investigations. The female students had told the police that they are facing various kinds of harassment within the school.
The police took into custody the principal of the school and two teachers in charge of the male and female hostels as well as another teacher, in connection with this incident.
A teacher of the school said that five female students had secretly left their hostel at 12 midnight recently and when inquiries were made it was discovered that they had gone to meet their boyfriends.
He said that as a result of this indiscipline, these students had been punished and he also said that it is wrong to define it as cruel harassment.
Subsequent to further investigations, the five male students who had left their hostel secretly had also been summoned by the police for questioning. In addition to the three female students who had fled the school, the police had obtained statements from the other two students who had been assaulted in the hostel. The police said that all of these students were between the ages of 15 and 17 years.
It is known that the principal had punished the five male students who had left their dormitory and gone to the female students’ hostel by cutting off their hair.
The principal who was arrested on suspicion, is a resident of Ambatenna. The others are residents of Chilaw, Welamboda and Avissawella. The police took steps to refer the ten students who were alleged to have been tortured inside the school, to the Judicial Medical Officer.
It has been revealed that a student obtaining education at this school is charged between Rs.35,000 to 45,000 monthly. Further investigations are being conducted by the Kandy Women and Children’s Bureau.