Tamil Nadu School Headmaster Suspended After Video Shows Girl Students Cleaning Toilets

A controversial video showing young girl students cleaning toilets at a government school in Tamil Nadu's Karur district has triggered widespread condemnation and prompted immediate administrative action.

The footage, which has circulated widely across social media platforms, captures Class 5 students scrubbing washrooms at a Panchayat Union Primary School in Puliyur Kalipalayam, under the Thanthondrimalai Panchayat Union. Following the video's emergence, Karur's Chief Education Officer confirmed the school headmaster has been suspended pending a comprehensive investigation.

The incident has ignited political backlash, with BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya criticizing the situation on social media platform X. Malviya questioned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's "education model" and suggested the state's resistance to the National Education Policy might be allowing DMK-run schools to "escape audits and exploit students."

This case follows a similar controversy from January 2025, when another government school principal in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district was suspended after footage emerged showing tribal girl students cleaning school toilets. In that instance, parents had complained that their children were regularly assigned cleaning duties, including toilet maintenance, water collection, and general campus upkeep.

In both cases, education authorities responded with swift disciplinary action against the school administrators following public outcry over the inappropriate use of students for cleaning facilities.