Principal at Jharkhand school sends 80 girls home without shirts for writing on them

The incident took place in a prestigious school in Digwadih under Jorapokhar police station area on Friday

representational photo: The recent incident involving the principal of a private school in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, on ‘pen day’ has sparked outrage and concern among parents and the community. Photo: The Logical Indian@LogicalIndians via X

The principal of a private school in Dhanbad district of India’s Jharkhand has been accused of ordering 80 girls of grade 10 to remove their shirts for writing messages on them, prompting the administration to initiate an inquiry, NDTV reports.

The girls were allegedly forced to return home in their blazers without shirts beneath.

The incident took place in a prestigious school in Digwadih under the Jorapokhar Police Station area on Friday, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Madhvi Mishra said.

Parents complained to the deputy commissioners that grade 10 students, after completing their examination, were celebrating "pen day" by writing messages on each others' shirts.

The principal raised an objection to the celebration and asked the students to remove their shirts, even after they sought an apology.

All students were sent back home in their blazers without the shirts, the parents told the DC.

"Several guardians lodged complaints against the principal. We also talked to some of the victim girls. The administration has taken the matter seriously. A committee has been set up to investigate the matter," Mishra said.

The committee consists of the sub-divisional magistrate, the district education officer, the district social welfare officer and the sub-divisional police officer.

Action would be taken based on the probe panel's report, the DC said.

Jharia MLA Ragini Singh also accompanied the parents to the DC's office on Saturday when they lodged the complaints against the principal.

She described the incident as "shameful and unfortunate".