KEPALA BATAS – Police are conducting further investigations pertaining to a report lodged by a secondary school student in Tasek Gelugor near here, who claimed she was told by a senior teacher to kneel with her hands up as punishment during a school assembly yesterday.
Seberang Prai Selatan police chief Mohd Radzi Ahmad said the 13-year-old pupil lodged the report at 10.43pm – claiming that she was punished for wearing shoes with velcro straps, had her kayiru (holy string in Hinduism) cut, and asked to remove sacred ash and pottu (traditional black dot) from her forehead.
“The student related the incident to her father and they lodged a report for further action,” he said in a statement tonight.
Radzi said an initial investigation found that the girl had transferred to the school only last month and so far police had recorded witness statements from several students and teachers in the school.
He said that based on the witnesses’ initial statements, they claimed that they did not see the student being punished by kneeling during the assembly.
“There are also witnesses who claimed that they saw the red string on her hand and the black dot on her forehead even after school was over,” he said.
Radzi said police also received another report lodged by the female teacher denying the claims.
The case is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code, he added.
In this regard, he also advised the public not to speculate about cases involving religious offences, as this could affect racial harmony.
According to him, police were taking the matter seriously and were not compromising with any of the parties involved. – Bernama, November 3, 2022
