Dalit headmistress seeks directive for police protection

A Dalit headmistress of a primary school has sought a direction for police protection alleging her colleagues were threatening her after she lodged a complaint against two of them for asking Dalit students to clean toilets with their hands and legs.
Justice N Kirubakaran ordered a notice to the officials, including the District Elementary Educational Officer and Inspector of Ayyapuram, among others.
Petitioner S Amali Annal submitted she had lodged a complaint on January 13 this year against two colleagues at the panchayat primary school at Nayakarpatti for asking Dalit students to clean toilets. She claimed they had abused and assualted her after she did so.

The complaint was lodged three days after the incident.
She said she had gone on medical leave after the incident and joined duty on April 12. But the same day, eight persons had barged into the school and threatened her. They left only after her relatives, whom she telephoned, came to the spot.
Though she again gave a complaint the same day, police asked her to go to the police station where the eight persons were present and they abused her there also, she said.

The Inspector, instead of registering a case, asked her to go for a compromise and withdraw the complaint, which she did. Even after this, she continued to receive threats, she said.

The headmistress said she feared going to school without police protection. She said she had sent a complaint to the Superintendent of police, Tirunelveli and the DIG on the 'inaction' of the Inspector, but no action had been taken against him.
She sought a directive to register a case based on her complaint on April 12 2013 and also sought adequate protection to enable her discharge her duties.