Over 60 Girls Of Jharkhand's Kasturba Gandhi School Walked 17Kms At Night To Collectorate: Know Why

The Government of India launched the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme in 2004 to ensure education reaches every individual, especially those who are underprivileged. Under the scheme, the government set up residential schools for girls belonging predominantly to the scheduled caste, tribes, other backward castes, and minorities. They particularly looked into being established in the country's educationally backward blocks (EBBs), where female rural literacy was recorded to be below the national average.

While the scheme started with good intentions, over time, it has marked a space in the news headlines for the mistreatment of the girl students. Multiple reports have been published regarding the discriminatory practices conducted against minorities and lower castes in the institution that was expected to help out the children. In the recent most incident reported from a KGBV, about 60 adolescent girl students sneaked out of the school and walked 17 kms to the West Singhbhum collectorate to complain about the atrocities they were being subjected to within the school.

KGBV Makes Headlines Again

The issues reported from KGBV's saw a tipping point recently, with many girl students walking kilometres to the collectorate seeking help. More than 60 adolescent girl students sneaked out of their residential school at night and walked for 17 km through deserted roads until the West Singhbhum district collectorate. They did so to complain to the deputy commissioner about the way the hostel warden was treating the students. Reaching the collectorate office around 7 am in the morning, the class 11 students of Khuntpani's KGBV lodged their complaint with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ananya Mittal.

The unexpected crowd of girls seen at the official's office created quite a stir, and it soon reached the tables of the district education department. Based on the DC's directive, the District Superintendent of Education (DSE) Abhay Kumar Shil also reached the spot and heard the grievances of the students. After assuring the girls that the matter would be thoroughly investigated and necessary action would be taken, they were sent back to the school in their vehicles.

Complaints That Travelled 17 Kilometres

According to a report by the New Indian Express, the students revealed that they were being treated unfairly at the institution. They were often forced to eat stale food, clean toilets and the students of lower classes were compelled to sleep on the floor despite the biting cold. Every time students protested against the conditions, they were beaten up by the warden.

During inspections, the warden forced the students to lie about their living conditions and warned them of the consequences of revealing the truth. Not being able to take the atrocities anymore, the students left for the collectorate to draw the officials' attention. After reaching Chaibasa, the girl students also dialled the local member of parliament, Geeta Koda, who had informed the DC about the girls' actions. Currently, a team is put in place to probe the allegations, after which action will be carried out against the warden.

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