In khap ravaged Haryana, a school has barred two class XII girls from attending classes just because they went in for love marriage.
Rakhi and Manjeet Kaur, both 18, have been told to stay away by their principal "for fear of casting a bad influence on their schoolmates". Rakhi and her husband Kumar Gaurav are now thinking of taking legal recourse if the school continues to deny her education.
Students of Government Senior Secondary School, Maheshnagar, the two girls had run away from home after meeting parental opposition to their marriage. While Rakhi married Gaurav, Manjeet had tied the knot with Ashok Kumar in December 2010. When the couples returned home, Rakhi's family accepted her marriage and she decided to continue her studies. However, the principal just wouldn't let her do so.
The school authorities, though, have denied the allegations, saying the girls' names were struck due to their long absence. Rakhi's class teacher Alka Jain and district education officer Nisha Sharma said the school took action after they stayed away from classes for over a month. "Nobody can stop them from entering the school on this ground (love marriage). We will inquire into the incident and take appropriate action after that," . She admitted that Rakhi had complained against her principal Kamlesh Sharma.
Gaurav, though, stands firm by his wife. "They (school officials) say long absenteeism is the reason behind barring their entry to school. How can they spoil her education for a reason like this. We will go to the court against the school diktat,".
