Students of a Jaipur school for hearing-impaired children staged a three-hour protest over alleged poor food, sanitation issues, shortage of sign language teachers and other grievances. Officials intervened and communicated with students through sign language and written messages. The Education Department relieved the principal, a teacher and a fourth-class employee while ordering an inquiry.

Jaipur: An emotional and unprecedented scene unfolded on Wednesday at the Government Seth Anandilal Poddar Senior Secondary School for hearing impaired in Jaipur, as the students staged a sit-in protest over poor amenities in the school.

Unable to speak or hear, the students conveyed their grievances to the administration through hand gestures, placards, and written messages. The students didn't attend the classes and instead gathered outside the premises.

The students confined the principal and other staff members within the school grounds and locked the main gate from the outside. Later the officials from the education department and police arrived at the protest and defused the situation by communicating with the students through sign language and written notes.

In their formal complaint, the students alleged that they are not provided quality food in the hostel, sanitation was extremely poor, and the condition of the toilets was deplorable. The students also raised the issue of the shortage of sign language teachers and claimed that money was sometimes extorted from parents under the pretext of facilitating calls or arranging hospital visits. Furthermore, the students demanded an impartial inquiry into allegations of harassment of female students by a male staff member.