Goa: 11 Schoolgirls Hospitalised After Being Pepper-sprayed by Fellow Students; CM Orders Probe

At least 11 ladies finding out in a better secondary college at Bicholim in North Goa have been hospitalised on Thursday after some fellow college students used pepper spray on them as a part of mischief, a senior police official mentioned. The incident occurred when the lady college students have been contained in the classroom, he mentioned.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed state police and the schooling division to conduct an inquiry. “As per the criticism acquired from the administration of the college, some lady college students began feeling uneasy and breathless when one other group of scholars used pepper spray on them as mischief,” the official said.

“Eleven girl students were initially referred to the Community Health Centre at Bicholim, and three of them were later admitted to the District Hospital in Mapusa town,” he mentioned. Bicholim MLA Dr Chandrakant Shetye, who rushed to the District Hospital, mentioned the situation of all the scholars admitted there was steady.

Majority of the scholars, besides two, could be given discharge quickly, he mentioned. The police have requested the college administration to arrange a disciplinary committee and examine the incident, the legislator mentioned.

“Initial inquiry has revealed that some college students sprayed the pepper from outdoors the classroom by the window,” he said. The management has told police that it has already suspended four students from the school for their misconduct, the MLA added.

A single line statement issued on Thursday evening from the chief minister’s office said “the CM has directed the police and education department to conduct thorough enquiry about the incident in Shree Shantadurga Higher Secondary School Bicholim”. Meanwhile, Bicholim police inspector Rahul Parab, in his letter to the college administration, has requested the latter provoke motion to make sure such incidents usually are not repeated.

He additionally requested the college administration to put in CCTV cameras on the premises, together with lecture rooms. Meanwhile, Director of Education Shailesh Sinai Zingde has issued a present trigger discover to the college administration asking why motion shouldn’t be taken in opposition to them for failing to stop the pepper spray incident.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar together with social gathering MLA Carlos Ferreira additionally visited the scholars on the district hospital. “It is unlucky that college students are resorting to this sort of mischievous behaviour,” he told reporters.

According to him, some parents informed him that a similar incident had happened on last Friday in the school, although it was at smaller scale.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)