Anand: The Anand District Education Department on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to S B Vakil English Medium School after eight students were allegedly made to sit outside in the cold for arriving a few minutes late.

The incident reportedly took place on Wednesday when a parent came to pick up his daughter and found her, along with seven others, sitting outside the school building. The children had allegedly been kept outside the classroom and in the school compound for the entire duration of school hours as punishment for late arrival.

A video of the confrontation between parents and the principal later went viral. Parents claimed the principal “misbehaved” and “snatched phones” to stop them from filming.

One parent, whose child was allegedly kept outside for nearly four hours, said the students were “traumatised and humiliated” and that such enforcement of punctuality was “excessively harsh”.

District Primary Education Officer Archana Prajapati said a Taluka Primary Education Officer has visited the school and a show-cause notice has been issued. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible,” she added. DeshGujarat