BICHOLIM
Twelve female students took ill at the Shree Shantadurga Higher Secondary School in Bicholim and had to be hospitalised, after pepper spray was used by some students in one classroom.
The school management has identified four male students to have been involved in the incident and action is expected to be taken against them.
Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed the police and education department to conduct an enquiry into the incident at the school.
According to sources, the incident took place when some students used pepper spray in one Std 11 classroom and 12 students complained of breathing difficulties.
An alarm was raised, and the 12 students were moved to the Bicholim Community Health Centre (CHC) for treatment.
Parents of the 12 students, a number of teachers and members of the management also rushed to the CHC on hearing the news. Eleven of them were later referred to the Mapusa District Hospital (MDH). Nine students have been discharged and two have been kept at the MDH for observation.
In the meantime, school authorities asked all students of the Class 11 to stay behind and sought more details from them.
On receiving news of the incident, a Bicholim police team rushed to the school to investigate the matter and held a meeting with the school management.
The school management later identified four students to have been involved in the incident and reported this to the police.
Incidentally, it came to light that a few days ago that a similar incident of pepper spray had been used in a classroom.
The incident shocked people across Bicholim as news of the incident spread quickly in the taluka and many denounced the misbehaviour of those using pepper spray in school.
