The Sai Baba Colony Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Tuesday, against the management of a government-aided school for bringing schoolchildren to participate in a roadshow led by BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore on March 18.
The FIR has been registered under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 on a complaint from the Coimbatore District Child Welfare Officer.
Earlier, the Coimbatore District Elementary Education Officer Punitha Anthoniyammal conducted an inquiry into the incident. She instructed the management of the government-aided Sri Sai Baba Vidyalayam Aided Middle School to take strict action against the headmaster and staff, and submit a detailed report of the incident.
“The school has 24 hours to submit its report and the findings will be shared after the Election Commission is informed,” she said.
During Mr Modi’s roadshow, while several children were seen watching it, students of a private school in Vadavalli participated in the election campaign. They were seen dressed as Hindu deities, donning saffron-coloured cloth strips bearing party symbols, at various locations throughout the roadshow, performing on stages arranged by workers of the BJP.
This is in violation of an Election Commission of India directive that states: “The prohibition extends to the use of children to create the semblance of a political campaign in any manner including use of poems, songs, spoken words, display of insignia or political party, promoting achievements of a political party...”
The District Education Officer (DEO) of private schools said an inquiry will be launched soon.
Students present at the roadshow said school authorities instructed them to gather at the Sai Baba Colony junction two hours before the event. This was close to the starting point of the roadshow, which spanned a four-kilometre stretch between Ganga Hospital on Mettupalayam Road and the Head Post Office in R. S. Puram.
Schoolchildren dressed as deities and wearing strips of cloth with the BJP symbol on it, seen at the PM Modi’s roadshow in Coimbatore on March 18, 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Coimbatore District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati had responded to The Hindu’s post on social media platform X regarding the matter, stating, “We have taken cognisance of the issue and the ARO has sought reports from the respective departments. Suitable action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.”
Inquiries were then initiated by the Joint Commissioner of the Labour Department and the Chief Education Officer, aiming to scrutinise the involvement of children and the role of BJP members in having the children stage artistic performances during the campaign.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) M. Balamurali had said: “We have initiated an investigation. Prior to the event, all schools were explicitly instructed to abstain from such practices.”
Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) P. Suresh, speaking to The Hindu, confirmed these practices violate the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). “Once the inquiry is concluded, reports will be forwarded to the Election Commission for further action,” he said.
