In a controversial move, Justice K. Chandru, a retired Madras High Court judge, has taken the helm of a solitary committee appointed by the Tamil Nadu government to overhaul school education practices. This decision has ignited a firestorm of debate and dissent throughout the state. Known for his vocal opinions and historical affiliations, Justice Chandru has put forth a sweeping set of recommendations aimed at reshaping student behaviour and educational norms.
Central to his proposals are stringent measures targeting Hindu symbols and practices under the guise of social justice reforms. These include banning coloured wristbands (Kalawa), rings, and traditional forehead marks (Tilak) worn by students, ostensibly to eliminate caste distinctions in schools. Justice Chandru has also advocated for the enforcement of caste-based reservations in higher secondary education, emphasising access for Scheduled Caste (SC) students.
Chandru submitted his report to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the Secretariat in Chennai on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in the presence of School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena and others.
The report says, “Students should be prohibited from wearing any coloured wristbands, rings, or forehead marks (Tilaka). They must also refrain from coming to school on bicycles painted with reference to their caste or exhibiting any caste-related sentiments. Failure to comply with these rules must result in appropriate action being taken, in addition to advising their parents or guardians.”
Interestingly, the committee suggested that an expert body or agency be appointed by the government to investigate allegations of saffronisation of education and activities that infiltrate educational institutions, hampering caste and communal harmony.
Justice Chandru’s committee was constituted in the wake of an incident at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district in August 2023, in which two school children belonging to the Scheduled Castes were brutally assaulted by a group of students from an intermediate caste.
On the night of August 9, 2023, a horrific assault took place in Valliyoor, Tamil Nadu, where Chinnadurai, a 17-year-old Class 12 Scheduled Caste student, and his 14-year-old sister were brutally attacked with sickles inside their home. The attack was perpetrated by three of Chinnadurai’s schoolmates from a dominant caste, merely hours after he had lodged a complaint with the school headmaster about their persistent harassment.
Chinnadurai’s ordeal began at the government-aided school where he was subjected to relentless caste-based harassment by the assailants, who belonged to the Maravar community. They humiliated him repeatedly, coercing him into buying cigarettes and snacks for them, and subjected him to constant bullying. This abuse eventually became unbearable, leading Chinnadurai to confide in his parents and cease attending school a week before the violent incident.
Despite his efforts to seek help and the formal complaint to the headmaster, the harassment continued unabated. The culmination of this torment occurred on that fateful night when the attackers invaded Chinnadurai’s home and viciously assaulted him and his sister with sickles. Both siblings sustained serious injuries in the attack.
Following the incident, the police swiftly apprehended the perpetrators and filed charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This brutal attack has sparked outrage and highlighted the severe and ongoing issue of caste-based violence and discrimination in the region.
Critics have lambasted the committee’s approach for what they perceive as a discriminatory focus on Hindu customs, contrasting it sharply with the rhetoric of social equality. The inclusion of a provocative quote by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar questioning the longevity of Hindu traditions in the committee’s report has further fueled accusations of an anti-Hindu bias underlying the recommendations.
Dr Ambedkar’s saying quoted in report reads, “Hindus must consider whether time has come to recognise that there is nothing fixed, nothing eternal, NOTHING SANATAN…….”
The report said, “They [students] must also refrain from coming to school on bicycles painted with reference to their caste or exhibiting any caste-related sentiments. Failure to comply with these rules must result in appropriate action being taken, in addition to advising their parents or guardians.”
While the words ‘Kallar Reclamation’ and ‘Adi Dravidar Welfare’ should be removed from State-run schools, in the case of existing private schools, the School Education Department should request these schools to give up caste appellations, the report recommended. “If they fail to comply, appropriate legal steps should be considered, including legislative changes to serve the larger public interest,” the report said.
The students’ attendance register should not contain any column or details relating to their caste. “At no point can the class teacher call out students by either directly or indirectly referring to their caste, nor make any derogatory remarks about the student’s caste or the so-called character attributed to the caste”.
The seating arrangements of students in every classroom in all schools and colleges should be strictly based on alphabetical order (of their names), the panel recommended.
The committee also recommended that the Tamil Nadu government enact a separate legislation governing all students from schools to higher educational institutions, to enforce a policy of social inclusion and eradicate caste discrimination.
“This legislation should impose duties and responsibilities on students, teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as the management of such institutions and prescribe mechanisms for supervision, control, and sanctions for non compliance with these directives”, it said.
The panel also recommended enhancing local bodies’ control over primary education. Recommending that the current limited role granted to local bodies in the school education system be expanded to full control over primary education, it said that block-level administrations (panchayat unions) must have full control over schools, including appointing, posting, and removing staff.
“The laying down of guidelines relating to curriculum and standards and conducting board exams shall be managed by the Directorate of School Education and the State government. The government should formulate new legislation to grant true autonomous powers to local bodies, making education more people-oriented by amending the existing Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act of 1994,” it said.
Adding to the controversy is Justice Chandru’s past association with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), raising doubts about his impartiality towards Hinduism and his stance on minority rights. His advocacy for economic reservation policies that exclude upper castes from benefits has exacerbated tensions, sparking heated discussions on caste-based affirmative action and its implications for societal harmony.
As Tamil Nadu and beyond grapple with the fallout of these recommendations, the discourse has broadened to encompass fundamental questions of religious freedom, educational equity, and the role of ideology in policymaking. The proposals set forth by Justice Chandru’s committee have placed the educational landscape at a critical juncture, where the pursuit of social justice appears to intersect with contentious interpretations of cultural identity and tradition.
The report also calls for new legislation to promote social inclusion and eradicate caste discrimination, imposing responsibilities on students, staff, and school management, with mechanisms for supervision and penalties for non-compliance.
