Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Dec 23: Activists of different Hindu organizations, supported by hundreds of Lord Ayyappa devotees, mobbed Malpe police station near here on Wednesday December 22. They demanded the arrest of the headmaster and a teacher of Milagres High School in Kallianpur for allegedly slapping a student of the school, who was wearing black clothes in preparation for Sabarimala pilgrimage, inflicting mental torture in the bargain.

The student in question is Akash, son of Kishore Kundar, living in Lakshminagar, Kodavoor. He is an eighth standard student of Milagres High School. It is learnt that he had fallen very sick a few years ago, and his father had sought the blessings of Lord Ayyappa for curing him, duly taking a religious vow that the boy will be brought to Sabarimala.

On December 12, the boy had failed to attend the special class in the evening, as he had to attend certain puja rituals. The teacher concerned reportedly made some blasphemous remarks about the boy being Ayyappa devotee, before presenting him before the headmaster. The headmaster thereafter is said to have scolded the boy, in addition to beating him.

The mob demanded for a written confirmation from the headmaster not to behave like a communalist henceforth, besides tendering a public apology. Station house officer, Santosh Shetty, deputy superintendent of police, Jayant Shetty and S V Girish, tactfully talked to the crowd and managed the situation.

The headmaster said that all the four students, who remained absent from the special class that day, had been slapped. He said that he noticed that the boy was an Ayyappa devotee, only after seeing a shawl around his neck. He also tendered apology from the people. A written confirmation was also obtained from him. The people said that the teacher concerned had also made insulting remarks about religion in the past. A complaint was registered against the teacher of the high school in the police station.