- Ten Class 9 students' braids were cut while they slept at an Andhra hostel
- The incident took place at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Krishnapuram
- Police are reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing students to investigate
In a strange incident, the braids of 10 Class 9th students were found cut while they were asleep at their hostel in Andhra Pradesh, triggering a probe into the incident and the safety arrangements at the residential school.
The incident occurred late on September 16, when the students were sleeping in two rooms at the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) hostel in Krishnapuram, Bheemili.
Six girls were sleeping in one room and four in another when they found out that their hair had been cut.
The school has around 38 Class 9 students staying in the two rooms.
The incident initially raised fears that an outsider had entered the hostel. However, police and school authorities are examining the possibility that fellow students may have been involved.
Police have spoken to the students and are checking available CCTV footage to establish what happened.
Bheemili MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao visited the school on Sunday and interacted with students, parents and the management.
He called for a detailed investigation, saying, "There is very little possibility of someone from outside entering the hostel. CCTV footage should reveal more details."
Bheemili Inspector G Divakar said police and school authorities had counselled the students and were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The education authorities have also initiated administrative action. Show-cause notices were issued to four persons, including the principal, teachers on duty and the night watchwoman, seeking explanations over the incident and hostel supervision.
Counselling for the students has also been initiated.
Authorities are continuing to examine CCTV footage, statements from students and staff, and the hostel's night-time supervision arrangements.
The exact circumstances and responsibility for the hair-cutting incident are yet to be formally established, while police and authorities are probing all possible angles behind the surprising incident which has put students in fear.
