Sisters Stripped Allegedly By Bihar School After Father Fails To Pay Fee

Patna: Two young girls were allegedly stripped of their school uniform by a private school in Bihar's Begusarai district and forced to walk down home in a semi-naked condition on Friday because they could not pay the school fees.

In video footage that captures their humiliating journey through the village lanes, the two sisters are seen taking baby steps.

Somewhere down the road, a villager took the girls in and gave them some clothes to cover themselves. One of them was a nursery student; the elder one was in Class I.

The shocking incident took place 125 km east of state capital Patna on Friday.

The girls hailed from a poor family that wanted them to get a good education. But this time, their poor father had reportedly missed several deadlines to bring in the money for the uniforms and school fees. He had asked the private school for some more time; his request was rejected.

Three persons have been arrested by the police including the school principal and teacher.

In his complaint to the police, a Press Trust of India report said, the father Chunchun Sah was asked to meet a teacher when he went to pick up his daughters from school. She demanded that he deposit the fee for the school uniform. Mr Sah wanted some time to arrange the money but the teacher allegedly would have none of it. Eventually, the teacher took off the uniform worn by his daughters in front of everyone and threw the girls out of the school.

There have been several instances over the last few years where children have been humiliated, in some cases also driven to suicide, for their inability to pay for their education in a private institute.
In January this year, a 16-year-old boy in Hyderabad hanged himself after being harassed at school for being late in paying the fee. Last year, a private school in Hyderabad made a Class 6 student stand outside classroom while all other students appeared for an exam. In October 2015, a 14-year-old boy killed himself for the same reasons. A week later, 17-year-old student aspiring to join the Indian Institute of Technology jumped off the third floor of the institution.

(With inputs from PTI)