Wayanad (Keralam), Oct 29 A school principal was taken into custody following a protest by parents in this hill district on Thursday over allegations that he and the PTA president consumed liquor during an excursion to Hyderabad, police said.
A total of 135 students from the Government Higher Secondary School in Meenangadi here left for Hyderabad on an excursion on Sunday.
The alleged incident occurred while they were returning from the trip, police said.
Parents alleged that the principal and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) president, who accompanied the students, were under the influence of alcohol during the return journey.
Police said that students recorded videos inside the bus and shared them with their parents.
They also objected to travelling with the PTA president, after which he was allegedly made to get off the bus en route.
When the buses returned to the school, parents gathered outside the premises and staged a protest, demanding action against the principal and the PTA president.
Though school authorities maintained that the principal had not consumed liquor during the excursion, the protesting parents demanded that his blood samples be collected for examination.
The parents opposed allowing the principal to enter the school premises.
Following the protest, the police reached the school and took the principal into custody.
He was subsequently shifted to the police station.
Police said the PTA president would also be questioned after he returned to Meenangadi.
Police said the students’ statements would also be recorded to obtain precise information about the incident on the bus.
Police said a final decision on whether to register a case would be made after completing the necessary medical examination and other procedures.
(PTI News)
