Video of students cleaning toilets goes viral: Karnataka govt school headmaster suspended

The headmaster of a state government-run school was suspended on Thursday after a video of students cleaning toilets was widely circulated online, officials said.

In a video that surfaced online, some students of a school are seen cleaning and scrubbing toilets, which led to protest from parents.

This is the third such incident in Karnataka this month.

According to officials, the incident took place on Saturday at a government-run school in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district where students of class six were allegedly asked to clean toilets. However, when the senior officials of the education department confronted the headmaster, he told them that the students were only asked to pour water and not clean the toilets.

"On Wednesday, I received a 10-second video on Whatsapp in which students were seen cleaning toilets. I immediately instructed the officials concerned to visit the school and conduct a detailed inquiry," a senior education department officer told PTI. "The Block Education Officer has submitted a report, based on which I have initiated disciplinary action against the headmaster of the school. This is unacceptable and so, we have suspended Headmaster Shankarappa in connection with the incident in the school last week." This comes close on the heels of an incident in a state government-run school in Bengaluru where too students were allegedly asked to clean toilets. Following the viral video of the incident, the education department suspended the headmistress of the school.

Following the incident, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa condemned it and termed it "shocking" and "deplorable". He had also instructed the education department to ensure that such incidents don't took place again.

Earlier this month, the principal and two staff members of a residential school in Kolar district too were suspended over allegations that some students were made to clean the soak pit on its premises.