The controversy erupted at Government Higher Secondary School, Meenangadi, after students returning from the excursion complained about the conduct of Principal Shibi Krishnan and PTA president S Hajis. Parents demanded medical examinations and action against those responsible for any misconduct.
Police intervened when protesters prevented the principal from entering the school premises and insisted that he undergo medical examination. Officers subsequently took Krishnan into custody and arranged for him to be examined at a hospital.
The principal denied consuming alcohol during the excursion. He acknowledged, however, that the PTA president had been asked to leave the bus after students complained about the smell of liquor.
Higher Secondary District Coordinator P K Jaleel initiated an official inquiry following instructions from the Regional Deputy Director of Higher Secondary Education. The investigation will examine the allegations and circumstances surrounding the confrontation during the return journey.
Jaleel said efforts to contact those involved had initially proved unsuccessful. The PTA president was unavailable for questioning, while the students had returned home because classes were not being held for them on Thursday.
Teachers who accompanied the excursion maintained that the principal had not consumed alcohol, Jaleel said. Their account differs from allegations raised by some parents, making the medical examination and statements from witnesses important to establishing what happened.
The inquiry officer also observed that videos circulated by students appeared to show their complaints were directed primarily against the PTA president rather than the principal.
The footage, recorded inside one of the buses, showed students confronting the PTA president over an alleged smell of alcohol. Several students, including girls, demanded that he leave the vehicle.
The confrontation prompted discussions among accompanying teachers and school authorities. The PTA president was subsequently asked to disembark, allowing the students and other members of the group to continue their journey.
Krishnan maintained that the decision followed complaints from students who were unwilling to travel further with the PTA president. He said the allegations against the latter had been addressed immediately by removing him from the vehicle.
The principal also indicated that he had not personally established whether the PTA president had consumed alcohol. His explanation formed part of the competing accounts that education authorities are examining.
The excursion began on Sunday, with approximately 135 students travelling from Meenangadi to Hyderabad. Three buses were arranged for the journey, accompanied by teachers and school representatives.
The allegations surfaced during the return journey, with students recording videos and sharing them with their parents. The recordings prompted concern among families before the buses reached the school on Thursday morning.
Parents and local residents gathered outside the institution as the excursion party returned. Demonstrators confronted school authorities and demanded explanations about the conduct of adults entrusted with supervising the students.
The protest developed into heated exchanges, with participants insisting that the principal should not be allowed into the school without undergoing medical examination.
Police personnel arrived to control the situation and facilitate the examination demanded by protesters. The intervention helped ease tensions outside the school, although questions surrounding the allegations remained unresolved.
Police said statements would be collected from students to establish precisely what occurred inside the bus. Investigators also intended to question the PTA president after his return to Meenangadi.
A decision on registering a criminal case would depend on the medical examination and other procedures, police indicated. No finding establishing that either official had consumed alcohol was available at the time.
The education department’s inquiry is separate from the police examination of the complaints. Jaleel said his findings would be submitted to the Regional Deputy Director within a few days.
He stressed the importance of protecting the interests of students and maintaining the relationship between teachers and pupils while examining the allegations.
The dispute has placed the conduct of accompanying adults under scrutiny, particularly because students themselves raised objections during the journey rather than waiting until their return.
School authorities have maintained that the principal was not intoxicated, while parents have demanded that the complaints receive proper examination.
The PTA president had not returned to Meenangadi when the initial inquiries began, leaving investigators awaiting his account of the confrontation and the circumstances in which he left the bus.
(The article ‘Tipsy teachers during school trip triggers storm’ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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