The principal of a government school in Haryana's Mahendragarh district has been suspended after some girl students staged a protest in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk.
Naresh Kaushik, principal of Government Senior Secondary School in Kanina Mandi, was placed under suspension after photos and videos of the students' demonstration surfaced on social media.
Fact-finding committee formed after student protest
Following the incident, a committee was set up to investigate the matter. The committee is headed by the local Block Education Officer (BEO), Suresh Kumar.
According to The Hindu, the committee submitted its report after recording the statements of the school principal, teachers, students, and their parents.
BEO Suresh Kumar confirmed that the protest demonstration took place outside the school premises.
Our Take: Accountability in schools must be fair
In our view, while schools must maintain discipline, the suspension of a principal over student-led protests raises important questions. The students exercised their right to peaceful protest outside school grounds. The authorities were right to launch a fact-finding inquiry to understand the full context before taking any final action. However, suspending the principal before the inquiry was complete seems premature. Schools should be spaces where students learn civic engagement, not face punishment for expressing solidarity with a cause.