Students’ street fight: School counsels children

The Bishop Cotton Girls’ School management has counselled the students who were allegedly involved in a street fight on Tuesday. The videos of the fight went viral prompting people to make memes on the incident.

The incident involved students fighting in front of the school, after school hours. They were in uniforms when the fight broke out.

However, in the interest of students and under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the school authorities, members of the Right to Education Task Force and police officers of the jurisdictional police station have called the students and parents for mediation.

Speaking to DH, Sujatha Suresh, member, RTE Task Force, said, “We have educated both children and parents and advised them not to make it an issue in the interest of the students and in an effort to protect their rights.”

“We even counselled students and educated them about the Juvenile Justice Act and made them understand that their actions could be initiated under the Act for their involvement in the incident,” added Sujatha.

Sujatha added that two years of the pandemic has affected social behaviour and the the
holistic development of children.

“Parents must understand their responsibilities, keep an eye on their children and treat them as friends. This will make a world of difference,” she said.

Nagasimha G Rao, child rights activist, said, “These are adolescent problems and schools and parents should be sensitive when handling children at this age. This is why we insist on Child Protection Policy in every school and the need to create awareness about the Pocso and the JJ Act. They should be aware of the consequences of violent behaviour.”