School excursion row: UDF leaders release CCTV footage in support of their claims

The controversy surrounding the recent student study tour conducted by the Meenangadi Government Higher Secondary School saw new developments on Thursday (November 5), with the United Democratic Front (UDF) Meenangadi panchayat committee releasing CCTV footage allegedly showing school Principal, Shivi Krishnan, and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president Hijas Ulladan entering a bar.

At a press conference, UDF leaders, led by former Meenangadi panchayat president K.E. Vinayan, presented the footage purportedly retrieved from the bar in Nampally, Hyderabad. The leadership claimed that the visuals showed the principal and the PTA president entering and leaving the establishment, alleging that a bill of ₹1,100 for alcoholic beverages was settled using the PTA president’s personal ATM card.

Following the disclosure, the UDF Meenangadi leadership lodged a formal complaint with the Wayanad District Police Chief and announced plans to approach the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. They alleged that students who spoke in support of the school authorities were subjected to severe cyberbullying, intimidation, and harsh online trials by vloggers and online media outlets.

The row originally erupted after allegations emerged that two responsible school officials had consumed alcohol during a recent study tour to Hyderabad. Responding to the accusations, Principal Shivi Krishnan, who is also a leader of a left-leaning teachers’ association, had refuted the claims and termed them a targeted political move against him.

Though a subsequent medical examination of the principal revealed no presence of alcohol in his blood and a section of students publicly defended him, the UDF countered that online media and vloggers were influenced to sway public opinion, prompting them to release the CCTV footage to substantiate their allegations.