The closing ceremony of the 'Olympic-model' Kerala School Games witnessed unruly scenes with a group of athletes claiming they were 'slapped' and 'kicked' by the police for gheraoing General Education Minister V Sivankutty over a disparity in results.
Students of Mar Basil HSS Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district and Navamukunda HSS, Thirunavaya in Malappuram district, claimed the General Education Department, which hosted the seven-day sporting spectacle at various venues in the Ernakulam district, acted unfairly towards them.
Protests began at the venue when the 'Best School' awards were declared. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated the closing ceremony, had only left the venue a little ago. "Are we not minors? How can the police slap us? How can they be so cruel," said a male athlete of Mar Basil. "Policemen slapped a few of us. Two of our male athletes were kicked in the stomach," said a female athlete of the same school.
A few metres away, a group of Navamukunda students were shouting slogans: "Give us our trophy. Give us what we deserve." They pointed fingers at a posse of policemen and policewomen and continued: "Police cannot silence us."
Shortly before, Minister Sivankutty was escorted away from the venue. The minister had grabbed a mic and urged the protesters to maintain discipline before he left. "Don't disrupt the event. This is not the right way to do it," Sivankutty said over the microphone.
Shibi Mathew, the Physical Education teacher at Mar Basil explained the issue: "Each year, Best School awards are given separately for Sports Hostels and regular schools. Everyone thought it would be the same this year, as no official communication had said otherwise. But then suddenly, the organisers announced the results in a combined format. That is totally unfair."
Below is the standing for athletics published on the official website (points in brackets):
1) Ideal EHSS Kadakassery, Malappuram (80)
2) Navamukunda HSS, Thirunavaya, MLP (44)
3) Mar Basil HSS, Kothamangalam, EKM (43)
Below is the standing for Sports Hostels for athletics (points in brackets):
1) GV Raja Sports School, TVM (55)
2) SAI, Thalassey, KNR (8)
3) SAI, Kollam (7)
However, when the official announcement was made, GV Raja, a state-government institution, slipped into the second position in Regular Schools standings, relegating Navamukunda to third place and Mar Basil off the podium.
"Until the moment it was announced, we were waiting to hop onto the stage to collect our prize. The students were shocked. We are all so disappointed. This is so unfair," said Girish K, a Physical Education teacher at Navamukunda.
Meanwhile, the police officers at the venue denied manhandling the students. "Our duty was to protect the minister and maintain law and order. That is all we did," said DySP Jayakumar C. "If you look around, there's hardly anyone with a lathi. If anyone got manhandled, it is us. I got a kick from some students," the officer claimed.
Minister's clarification
At least two hours after the protests, the General Education Department released a statement from Minister Sivankutty. "In the Olympic-model Kerala School Games, it is not proper to give awards separately. Excellence is prioritised in sports. The General Education Department aims to spot talents and nurture them.
On that basis, the separate classification that previously existed, was removed this time. The Department finds it detrimental to sports to have different classifications. The Department conducts events in 39 disciplines and does not differentiate students based on Sports School or Regular School while considering the Best District prize. Hence, it is not possible to give an exception for athletics alone."
