Denial of promotion to 2 Muslim students: Child rights panel

: The national child rights panel has directed its Kerala counterpart here to take immediate action on a complaint that the management of a private school here had allegedly denied promotion to two Muslim students.

The direction was based on a complaint by Naushad Thekkayil who alleged that the girl students had not been promoted to the next class as they were wearing uniforms with long sleeves.

The complainant alleged the girls-Fathima Thasneem and Hafsa Parveen, studying in sixth and second standards of a private school at Thiruvallam near here-had not been promoted to the next class by its principal.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked the state panel to take immediate action for violation of child rights and also ensure that the children should not be deprived of studies and promoted to higher classes.

The directive was given in a letter sent to Chairperson of Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, C J Antony, a copy of which was released to the media.

When contacted, school management sources, however, denied any kind of discrimination against students on the basis of uniform.