Comments posted on Facebook about a female mathematics teacher has resulted in 16 students of a leading private school suspended from their school in the Indian city of Chandigarh.
The students, all from Class 12 of Vivek High School, have been suspended for three months, according to the Times of India.
Asaf Parvez, son of a high-ranking government official, recently got low marks in his mathematics exam. He then posted his answer sheet on Facebook with rude and abusive comments about the female teacher. Fifteen of his classmates egged him on with their comments. All the posts were purported to be nasty, rude and abusive.
The incident came into light, when a teacher of the school, who had a Facebook account, saw the comments by chance and informed the school management. The school took it seriously and suspended the students.
"We cannot tolerate indiscipline and disrespect towards any teacher. In fact we had formed a committee where parents, teachers and these students were called. The students confessed the wrong doing and agreed for any punishment," said Vivek High School chairman HS Mamik.
The students said the school's decision infringed on their privacy and right to free expression. "The school has no business to peep into our personal and online lives," one girl student told a reporter.
