6-Year-Old Dalit Boy Forced To Clean Classmate’s Vomit By Teacher In Idukki, Sparks Outrage
A shocking incident took place at St. Benedict’s LP School in Sleevamala in the Idukki district of Kerala. A second-grade student, Pranav Sijoy, was humiliated by his class teacher, Maria Joseph, by ordering him to clean up the vomit of his sick classmate.
As per The Observer post, the teacher initially instructed the students to cover the vomit using sand and later singled out Pranav from the group and asked him to clean it up. Despite his reluctance and fear of being scolded, Pranav complied. When one of his classmates stepped in to help him, he was dismissed by the teacher.
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Pranav’s mother, Priyanka Soman, was unaware of the incident till November 20. She learnt about it during a conversation with another parent.
When Priyanka approached the school principal, who had confirmed the incident, he was not ready to take strict action against the teacher and instead was given just a warning.
Dissatisfied with the response from the school administration, she approached the Assistant Education Officer (AEO) with a written complaint. However, she was let down as the AEO said their authority to take action was limited due to the school being an aided institution.
The management seems indifferent to the gravity of the situation,” said Priyanka. “The principal merely suggested a warning, but this is outright caste discrimination. My child was humiliated in front of his classmates. How can such a teacher remain in the classroom?”
Worried about her son’s well-being and future, she said that Pranav seemed afraid to attend school and the incident had affected his confidence as well.
Being deeply concerned about her six-year-old’s well-being, she filed a police complaint on Friday. “This is a traumatic experience for a six-year-old,” she said. “The teacher had no right to force him into such a degrading act when the school employs cleaning staff for such tasks. This is sheer negligence and casteism.”
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The incident has sparked outrage among activists and parents alike. Many of the community members came forward, criticising the education department for failing to act decisively.
“Many cases of caste violence against Dalit children in minority-run educational institutions in Kerala go unreported due to the lack of grievance redressal mechanisms and fear of harassment by management. This case is just a tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Rehna Raveendran, an anti-caste activist and assistant professor, Dept. of Political Science, University of Allahabad.
