School students steal books from Intl Institute of Tamil Studies

The institute was jointly set up and supported by UNESCO and State government five decades ago. It carries out research in Tamil literature, arts and culture, sociology and linguistics.

According to the police, the theft was carried out on regular intervals by Class 10 students. “They might have done it without knowing the value of the books. It looks like that they have been doing it for long time because the officials have not been maintaining the library properly. There were already broken windows and school kids seem to have used the opportunity,” the police noted, adding that action would be taken against them once the examinations were over.

Official sources said that in most of the cases, the children had sold the book to old paper dealers and used the money to buy food. “We have identified the accused with the help of CCTV footages. But what is most alarming is the lethargic attitude of the officials of the institute in maintaining the library building,” one official noted.