A group of five students, including one female student, have
been suspended from Shantadurga Higher Secondary School in Bicholim for a month
due to their misuse of pepper spray. The incident occurred within a classroom
and led to 11 female students feeling breathless and requiring medical
attention. The affected students were taken to the Community Health Centre in
Bicholim, where six of them received immediate first-aid and were allowed to
return home. The remaining six were transferred to the North Goa District
Hospital in Mapusa for further treatment.
The police have identified the students responsible for
intentionally using the pepper spray to harass the girls. This is not the first
incident of its kind at the school; a similar event occurred the previous week
without detection.
The Director of Education, Shailesh S Zingde, has issued a
show cause notice to the Chairman of Shree Shantadurga Higher Secondary School,
questioning why action has not been taken against the management for their
failure to prevent such incidents on the premises. The school’s management has
been given a three-day deadline to respond.
Director Zingde emphasized that occurrences of this nature
within any educational institution are not only harmful to the students but
also detrimental to the entire education system. Meanwhile, Bicholim PI Rahul
Naik has directed the school’s principal to conduct a thorough investigation
into the incident and to take appropriate measures against the students
involved to prevent future incidents. The police have also urged the school to
install sufficient CCTV cameras throughout the campus, including within
classrooms, to enhance security and oversight.
