Last update:November 12, 2024, 2:27 p.m. IST

Five fourth grade students, including a girl, were allegedly found with broken tape in their mouths at a government primary school in Ayyampatti village, Thanjavur district.

It was claimed the children’s mouths were kept taped shut for four hours, leading to breathing problems. (Representative/Shutterstock)

In a shocking incident of corporal punishment, a government school principal in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, was accused of taping students’ mouths shut to punish them for speaking in class .

Five fourth graders, including a girl, were reportedly found with pieces of broken tape in their mouths at a public primary school. The incident took place in Ayyampatti village near Orathanadu town in Thanjavur district.

Following the incident, the parents of the students filed a complaint with the Thanjavur district collector. Meanwhile, the school principal and the elementary school district manager have denied the allegations.

The incident reportedly took place at the school on October 21. It was claimed the children’s mouths were kept taped shut for four hours, allegedly leading to breathing problems.

Matiyazhakan, head of the primary school district, said the headmistress had to take care of the class due to the teacher’s absence. He said the principal played no role in the incident and that the children duct-taped their mouths shut. He informed that an investigation had been ordered.

Punitha, the school principal, responded to the allegations by saying she was not involved in the incident. She claimed the children applied the tape to themselves while playing, and that someone took their photo and passed it around.

Location :

Thanjavur, India