As many as 150 girl students in a Gurukul School in Telangana’s Medak district were allegedly forced to cut their hair to save water in the hostel. The incident came to light on Tuesday, August 14, after the parents of the girls visited the hostel and found their daughters with short hair.

After the parents enquired, they found out that the school principal, K Aruna had allegedly called two barbers to the girl’s hostel. She then forced the girls to pay Rs 25 each for the haircut.

“I did not want to cut my hair, but the Principal asked us to, and we had no choice. Even our parents were not informed about us being given a haircut,” Akhila, a class 6 student, told ANI. 

Other students too agreed with her statement, and some of them feared getting punished by their family members. 

Parents Stage Protest

Claiming that it is against their faith to cut the children’s hair, the parents then staged a protest against the school and the principle K Aruna for compelling their kids to get a haircut citing water shortage. 

The school principal, however, said the decision was taken after the school discovered that many girls were suffering from lice infestation and other dermatological diseases. Haircuts were given for better hygiene of the girl students, the principal said. 

The principal defended her actions and said, “Taking the health of the students into consideration, I took such a decision. I sought approval from the regional coordinator, and even from the students.” 

Principal Defends Act

Apologising for the incident, she said: “Though we had not informed all parents, we did call a few. There is no other ill-intention behind this. I apologise if anybody is hurt by it.” She also said that there is a shortage of water in the school, which is why students could not wash their clothes or take a bath. 

Later, an inquiry against the principle of the school was initiated by the district administration and welfare department. Collector M Dharma Reddy sought an explanation from Aruna, and visited the school and interacted with students, staff and parents.

“I came to know that some parents even assaulted the staff, which is not proper. Since an inquiry has been ordered, action would be taken against those responsible for the girl students’ haircut, after receiving the report,” the Collector told The New Indian Express.

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