Hugging row: Tharoor takes initiative to resolve issue

The issue of suspension of a class XII boy by the management of a church-run school here for hugging a girl is likely to be resolved following the intervention of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

An informal meeting held under the aegis of Tharoor with the representatives of the private school management and the parents of the boy and girl arrived at a general consensus in this regard, sources in Tharoor's office said.

Tharoor later tweeted that "there are still some is to be dotted & ts to be crossed but we are almost there...I applaud all involved for having approached the issue in a constructive spirit. This has to be win-win: the school must win back its reputation & the kids their academic careers," he said.

According to management sources, the boy would be allowed to appear for the upcoming examinations, while the girl will be admitted if she produces her transfer certificate.

The St Thomas Central School at nearby Mukkolakkal has been in the eye of a storm after the incident which occurred on July 21 came to the media glare, nearly five months later, last week.

The boy had hugged the 11th standard girl after her performance in a music competition.

The school management immediately suspended him and had maintained that the girl had not submitted certain admission documents and hence was not their student.

The boy's family had moved the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights challenging the school's action. The panel had then directed the school to permit him to attend classes.

Opposing it, the school management, moved the Kerala High Court which upheld the institution's decision.