Kerala child rights panel registers suo motu case against K T Jaleel over alleged public humiliation of students

Malappuram: The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has registered a suo motu case against former minister and CPM leader K T Jaleel over his alleged public humiliation of schoolchildren during a student felicitation programme in Mannarkkad.

The Commission took action after videos aired by the media showed Jaleel publicly reprimanding students and allegedly pinching a child on the ear during the event. Chairperson of commission K V Manoj Kumar initiated the suo motu proceedings based on the visuals.

The incident occurred on Sunday while Jaleel was inaugurating a victory celebration organised for students from Wards 19, 20 and 22 of Mannarkkad Municipality. During the programme, he invited students who had secured A+ grades in Hindi to the stage and asked them to write their parents' names and addresses in Hindi. When some students made minor mistakes, he corrected them publicly and scolded them in front of the audience.

In one instance, Jaleel was heard asking a student, "Don't you know how to write your address?" in front of the gathering. Videos also showed him calling a student onto the stage and holding or pinching the child's ear after pointing out an error, triggering widespread criticism.

During his interaction, Jaleel also advised students to cultivate reading habits and use mobile phones for gaining knowledge rather than entertainment. He questioned them about the meaning of the word "Zamzam" and discussed the Malayalam literary work Pathummayude Aadu, stating that academic marks alone do not reflect true knowledge. He later claimed that his intention was to encourage students to value learning beyond examination scores.

The incident drew sharp criticism from various quarters. The Muslim Students Federation (MSF) demanded that the Child Rights Commission register a suo motu case against Jaleel, alleging that he had insulted students in public.

"We cannot agree with Jaleel's act of humiliating students before a public audience. Physically assaulting them is also a violation of child rights," said Ameen Rashid, Palakkad district general secretary of the MSF.

Minister for Women and Child Development R Bindu also criticised Jaleel's conduct, saying such behaviour towards children in a public function was unacceptable.

Responding to the controversy, Jaleel defended his actions, saying he always interacts with students rather than delivering one-sided speeches at felicitation programmes.

"When I see children, the teacher in me takes precedence over the politician. I usually engage them through humour, questions and conversations while pointing out both their strengths and shortcomings. That is exactly what happened at Mannarkkad. Anyone who watches the complete video will understand the context," he said.

Jaleel admitted that he had held a student's ear but denied causing any pain. "It is true that I playfully held the child's ear while smiling, and the child was smiling too. Since the child's face has been blurred in the video, that is not visible. I neither pinched the ear nor hurt the child. That is not my way. The child himself can confirm it. I do not believe my speech caused distress to any student or parent. If anyone genuinely felt hurt, I will certainly take that into consideration," he said.

Referring to the recent controversial speech by IUML leader and PWD Minister P K Basheer regarding his colloquial pronunciation, Jaleel maintained that it is the responsibility of elders, particularly teachers, to correct children's mistakes, even in a humorous manner, so that they improve their language and communication skills.

Member of the commission Shajesh Bhaskar told Onmanorama that the child rights commission will seek a detailed report regarding the incident from the Child Protection officer of Palakkad on Tuesday and will take further action based on his report.