Three Class V students of a government school in Ludhiana lifting waste buckets with great difficulty during class hours and stopping every few steps panting for breath on their way to a garbage dump, at least a kilometre away from the campus — a shocking video of the purported incident emerged on Wednesday. Following this, an enquiry was initiated by the District Education Officer (Elementary), while Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has started the process of summoning the teachers and DEO. One of the boys can also be heard saying in the video: “Mere ton chakkeya nahi jaanda, hath lagwa de (I cannot lift it, please help me).” Another said that their teacher sent them to dump the garbage. “Saadi madam ne keya kooda suttan nu (Our teacher told us to throw the waste).” he said. However, seeing the video being recorded, one of them ran back to the school. Later, when the teachers of Government Elementary School in Baba Shree Chand Colony of Mundian Kalan area were confronted by the video recorder, they refused to give any explanation on camera. One of the teachers said that she herself had filled garbage in the buckets. She said, “I will not give any explanation till the camera is not turned off.” It was captured by a local resident, Anil Arora, when he saw the students walking towards the dump with garbage buckets. “I asked them what are they doing. The children said that their teacher sent them to dump the garbage. When we followed the children to their school, the teachers had no explanation. They asked me to stop making the video. They, however, admitted that they had sent kids with heavy bins,” he told The Indian Express. He has submitted a complaint to Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) and the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. “Clearly, it was child labour. During school hours, the kids were asked to lift garbage and made to travel at least one kilometre in biting cold,” said Arora. Jaspreet Kaur, District Education Officer (elementary) told The Indian Express that the matter has come to her notice. “A report has been sought from the block education officer of Mangat-II, under which the school falls. An enquiry has been started.” Sukesh Kalia, chairman of the child rights commission said, “We have already initiated action in the case. The teachers concerned along with the DEO will be summoned soon.”
