*

Complaint to NHRC about Kalyani Mathivanan’s “victory rally”

A complaint has been made to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) about the Madurai Kamaraj University for making school children wait in scorching heat to shower flower petals on Vice-Chancellor Kalyani Mathivanan, when she arrived on the campus on July 7 after obtaining an interim stay in Supreme Court of the order quashing her appointment as Vice-Chancellor.

Changeindia, an organisation working for equity and rule of law, has urged the NHRC to enquire into this “brazen incident” which put tender children to torture by forcing them to participate in the celebration which resembled an election victory rally.

“The administration of MKU and her supporters organised a reception on July 7 from Madurai airport to the university when the Vice-Chancellor returned after obtaining an interim stay in Supreme Court. A large number of young children of MKU Nursery and Primary School were brought and made to wait on both sides of the road inside the varsity campus under scorching sun to shower flower petals on her. This is nothing but gross cruelty,” A. Narayanan, Director, Changeindia, Chennai, said in his complaint.

He observed that the school management was also guilty of allowing children to be taken away during school hours on Monday to an unrelated event and that too without the permission of parents. The complaint appealed to the NHRC to take up the matter with the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, School Education, to ensure prompt action on those who violated child rights. Mr. Narayanan had enclosed the video of “victory celebration” and newspaper clippings citing them as prima facie evidence.