A viral photograph of a young student with acid burn injuries is being shared on various social media platforms.
The story is given communal spin with a false claim that because of wearing an Ayyappa mala- a Hindu sacred thread at a ‘Christian’ school, he was made to clean the school bathroom with acid. The disputed image and the claim were originally shared in Telugu by a Facebook user named Mekala Nagarjuna Reddy. His post has got 13,000 shares till now.
The caption used with this particular viral image was as follows – “అయ్యప్పమాల వేసుకున్నందుకు క్రిస్టియన్ స్కూల్లో యాసిడ్ తో బాత్రూమ్ క్లీన్ చేపించిన స్కూల్ యాజమాన్యం. యాసిడ్ పడి గాయపడిన బాలుడు.” The caption if translated in English stated: “Punishment for just wearing Ayyappa Mala – cleaning school toilet with acid. Acid fell on to child’s hands. This incident took place at the Good Shepherd School, a govt aided Christian missionary school in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.”
అయ్యప్పమాల వేసుకున్నందుకు క్రిస్టియన్ స్కూల్లో యాసిడ్ తో బాత్రూమ్ క్లీన్ చేపించిన స్కూల్ యాజమాన్యం. యాసిడ్ పడి గాయపడిన బాలుడు.
Mekala Nagarjuna Reddy ಅವರಿಂದ ಈ ದಿನದಂದು ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ, ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 6, 2019
#HinduKid : तमिलनाडु के एक सरकारी मद से चलने वाले स्कूल में "अय्यप्पा माला" पहनने पर एक हिंदू बच्चे को एसिड से विद्यालय…
Shalinee App Deepo Bhav ಅವರಿಂದ ಈ ದಿನದಂದು ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ, ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 6, 2019
This boy is asked to clean toilet with adulterated acid for wearing Ayappa mala by a Christian school.
Place – Tuticorin, TN pic.twitter.com/crJJynCYty— #chowkidar Hindu (@hvshetty) December 8, 2019
Hindu student Wearing Lord Ayyappa Mala, Xtian Head Master order to clean school Toilet with Acid, it spilled, burned his hands. Govt aided Good Shepherd Hr Sec School, Idayar Palayam, Tuticorin, HM lies. Police should Arrest these communal barbaric xtian thugs. @KASengottaiyan pic.twitter.com/nuhRhWZjMB
— Nandagopal.K.M. (@nandaji1958) December 6, 2019
Claim
The young boy was Punished for wearing Ayyappa Mala and was made to clean the school toilet with acid. Unfortunately, acid spilled on his hands. This incident happened at the Good Shepherd School, a govt aided missionary school in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.
Fact Check
On performing Google reverse search, we came across a similar image published by The Times of India on 5 December. According to their report, two boys suffered acid burn while cleaning school lab and in between both of them one of the boys suffered major burn injuries on a major portion of his left hand and toes while removing acid bottles from a chemistry lab on the instructions of the headmaster.
Even Deccan Chronicle reported the same event on December 6. Their narrative is exactly similar to the information provided by The Times of India. “According to police, a few class – 7 students of the Nazareth CSI diocese-run TDTA Nalmeippar Higher Secondary School, Idaiyarkadu, were asked by the head master to cleaning the school laboratory. As part of the cleaning process, the headmaster is said to have asked the boys to take the out-dated acids and chemicals, and bury them. The student, all between the age group of 12 and 13 years, while carrying the acid bottles to the pit, dropped a few of them and the spillage injured two boys, Maharajan and Pramod Bala, in their hands and legs,” they reported.
Conclusion
So, the boys weren’t punished for wearing Ayyappa Mala and they got injured while cleaning the lab.
This fake news was even debunked by a Tamil fact-checking website named You Turn.
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