Thiruvananthapuram: St Thomas Central School in Thiruvananthapuram, where two students were expelled for hugging each other on campus, has decided to take the students back after a meeting with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday.
The students, a Class XII boy and a Class XI girl, will be allowed to write exams, the school management said. The two were suspended after they hugged each other in full public glare inside the school campus for a "long duration", kicking up a huge row that received nationwide attention.
While the teenagers said it was a congratulatory and friendly hug, the school maintained that it was against their disciplinary practices and that the hug was too long to be a congratulatory one.
I feel confident that the excellent reputation of St Thomas Central School will prevail now that this unfortunate incident is behind us. The students can resume their studies immediately &the school get back to what it is good at: educating exemplary boys&girls of good character. https://t.co/ST1in2gjnI— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 31, 2017
Tharoor, who had condemned the school in strong words earlier, also tweeted to announce the "formal agreement" between the school authorities and the parents of the suspended kids.
"Delighted to announce the conclusion of a formal agreement between St Thomas Central School and parents of the two suspended students. My personal thanks to Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan for his humane leadership and compassion and to both parents and school management for their understanding and cooperation," he wrote.
Delighted to announce the conclusion of a formal agreement between StThomas Central School &parents of the two suspended students. My personal thanks to JosephMarThoma Metropolitan for his humane leadership&compassion;&to both parents&school mgmt4their understanding&cooperation.— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 31, 2017
The school management said that the boy's attendance would be short, but it would write to the CBSE. Regarding the girl, the school authorities said Tharoor would take up her case with the board as she had taken admission in another school for some time, but that too was cancelled later.
The boy had earlier told CNN-News 18 that he was under tremendous pressure as he was not sure whether he would be able to write his board exams. "I cannot afford to lose one year because of a friendly hug I gave my friend. The secretary had used really bad words at me, abused me. They had given this whole incident a sexual colour. I want to write my exams."
The girl had said that she and her mother were harassed by the secretary of the school. "My mother and I visited the secretary. He harassed us in a lot of ways. He slut-shamed me, he shamed my family for bringing me up this way, called my family immoral. He has used sexually harassing and demeaning words against me. He made my mother cry because he was using really abusive words," she said.
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