Cultural centre staff held for beating up visiting schoolkids

The arrested persons were identified as Om Prakash and Pankaj Kumar. The two were arrested under the IPC sections of 294 B, 223 and Juvenile Justice Act.

According to the complaint filed by Chitrakala Ramachandran, principal of Chennai Public School in Thirumazhisai, 461 students along with 23 teachers went there for a field trip on November 28.

“It was observed that during lunch break some of the employees had hit the students. This is highly unacceptable,” the complaint said. The employees of the facility had used canes on students without the knowledge of teachers, the principal said, pointing out how the school, as a policy, does not use canes to punish students. Based on the complaint, police arrested two employees.

When contacted, the employer, however, denied using canes on the children. According to him, the teachers had left 450 odd students in the dining hall and went to another room to have their lunch. The kids finished their lunch fast and were trying to run out of the hall when the staff tried to control them by holding them by hand and collar.