‘Lesbianism will not be tolerated, is against the ethos’, says Bengal’s Education Minister Partha

Kolkata: Speaking on the recent Kamala Girl’s High School incident which asked its 10 girl students to confess in writing labeling them Lesbians, West Bengal’s Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said that Lesbianism is ‘ against the ethos’ and that the state does not tolerate lesbianism in schools as it is against Bengali Culture.

The incident which came to light on 8 March where 10 High school girls from Kamala Girls School in South Kolkata who were forced to write a confession admitting they were lesbians.

The education minister said that the school authorities should take necessary action against the girls if they are found ‘guilty’ of their sexuality. He also said that the girls should not be indulging in such ‘indecent’ behavior.

“If it’s a personal matter, it should be taken up outside of school. You can’t inculcate your personal ideas in the school. It can influence others,” Quint reported him saying.

“Some students had complained against 10 students of indulging in such behavior,” acting headmistress was quoted as saying.

She was further quoted by IANS as saying, “We called those students and they admitted it. Considering the sensitive nature of the issue, I asked them to admit it in writing. I have got written admissions from all 10 students.”

Parents and guardians of the students staged a protest against the school on Monday and also confronted the school’s headmistress on the incident.

“Today, we called the guardians to apprise them of the issue. Our aim was to discuss the matter with them so that we can bring these girls on the right course through efforts both at home and in school,” the headmistress told IANS, IBT reported.