The Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has taken cognisance of the assault and harassment of students at a coaching centre in Tirunelveli and conducted a preliminary probe. SHRC member and former Madras High Court senior lawyer V Kanadasan conducted the probe into Jal NEET Academy after a CCTV recording of a man physically assaulting teenagers with a cane went viral, leading to widespread outrage. Justice Kanadasan will be sending a notice to the distinct collector based on his probe. A police case has also been registered, according to reports.
The man in the CCTV footage has been identified as Jalaludeen Ahmed, who is believed to be the owner of Jal NEET Academy. He also runs a YouTube channel named Anbodu JAL, where he releases promotional videos for the centre and explainers on matters regarding NEET, such as cut-off marks and counselling.
In the CCTV clip, Jalaludeen can be seen standing at one end of the room and calling out to six boys one by one, each of whom he assaults with a cane while verbally abusing them. The boys who have been hit are made to line up against a wall while the next boy is called. Jalaludeen can also be heard berating them about sleeping.
Another CCTV clip shows Jalaludeen holding up a pair of slippers inside the classroom and flinging it at a girl who immediately rushes past him.
Speaking to TNM, Justice Kanadasan said, “The students who avail the coaching centre’s hostel facility were made to wake up at 5:00 am to study. Exhausted from this schedule, a few of the boys had fallen asleep in the library. This is what infuriated Jalaludeen.”
Ironically, on his YouTube channel, the name of which translates to With Love, JAL, Jalaludeen has uploaded a skit in which he lectures a student on the need for adequate sleep. In this video, a teenaged boy pretends to have fallen asleep at a desk. Jalaludeen then walks up to him, gently patting him awake before asking him why he’s sleeping. The boy replies that he was tired and dozed off while studying. Jalaludeen then goes on to ask him why he’s so tired, for which the boy responds that he has been staying up till 1:30 to 2:00 am studying.
The man who in real life canes students for falling asleep from tiredness, then says in the 11-month-old video, “Exams will come and go,” adding that while marks are important, it is equally necessary to be well-rested in order to study well.
Meanwhile, of the six boys who were assaulted, at least one of them was bleeding from the wound, Justice Kanadasan told TNM. He added that the others had deep marks on their backs from the cane.
“Parents are unwilling to take the issue up with the coaching centre because of the high fees they’ve paid. Those registering for the first time pay a steep Rs 80,000,” he said. For students who do not pass NEET on the first attempt, a Rs 20,000 concession is said to be given for re-enrollment.
Such high fees do not reflect in the coaching centre’s infrastructure. Justice Kannadasan told TNM that 83 students sit in one classroom with four on each bench. Hostel facilities are provided for out-station students, as many come here from other districts like Pudhukottai, Tenkasi, and Cuddalore. “It is unclear where the food comes from as there are no cooking facilities on campus,” he said.
Further, the centre has only four toilets for 63 girls, which they allegedly have to clean themselves. According to a report in The Hindu, the centre reportedly does not have permission to run a girls hostel, officials from the state Social Welfare Department said.
Reports also say that Jalaludeen was booked on October 19 under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.