Vijayawada: A controversy erupted on Friday after a fifth-grade student wearing an Ayyappa mala (sacred garland) was denied entry to class by the management of a private school in Gollapudi in NTR district. The student, who observed Ayyappa deeksha and arrived at school in the morning wearing the mala, was sent back home by school authorities, according to eyewitnesses.News of the incident drew a group of devotees and activists, including members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who assembled at the school to express their objection and demand that the student be allowed into class. Bhavanipuram police reached the scene and attempted to pacify the aggrieved parties and maintain order.Following a delegation by the deeksha participants, the matter was taken up with District Educational Officer U V Subba Rao. After discussions between the DEO and the school management, the school issued an apology and agreed to allow the student to attend class wearing the mala and deeksha dress, effectively resolving the immediate standoff.The DEO told TOI that he issued notices to the school management and directed that a settlement be reached within 2 days. He instructed that students attending private, aided, or other schools who come wearing religious symbols such as the Ayyappa mala should not be prevented from entering classrooms and warned of stringent action against schools that fail to comply.Officials cautioned that managers who persistently object to students’ religious symbols could face disciplinary measures, including possible cancellation of school recognition. The notice follows a recent similar incident at a school in Vidyadharapuram, which also sparked local controversy.
