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She was acquitted by a court in a prostitution racket case

 
Once a revered school head, never in her wildest imagination would she have been prepared for the reviled reception she received a day after she rejoined duty, following a court order which acquitted her in a “prostitution” racket case.

For Salomi B Kuri, headmistress of Srimathi Sudhathayi R Shetty Primary School, being back at the helm was like any other day in office. However, for students, she had no right to be among them. Not after the serious charge she had been slapped with, though the court may have cited lack of evidence in her favour and paved the way for her reinstatement.

In a demonstration of what pent-up anger and scorn can do to people, the students, especially girls, and their parents, unable to digest the fact they would have to contend with “tainted” headmistress again, heckled and harassed her to leave the premises, even as some took whatever they could lay their hands on — duster, stick — to batter her out of the premises.

Public protest

Things did not end there. A boisterous crowd of 500 students sat in front of the school gates demanding her eviction from the premises.

Kuri was arrested by Vidyanagar police a year and a half ago on the charges of running a prostitution racket and sent to judicial custody. Though granted bail and released, she was under suspension since then, till the local court gave her a clean chit stating that there was no evidence against her. The court also directed that she may rejoin duty.

Meanwhile, Mahila Vidya Peeta secretary K T Patil said the management could not do anything as Kuri had rejoined work as per the court order. However, he said the management would meet on Tuesday to debate Kuri’s continuance in office.

Kuri, who maintained that a section of the staff did not wish her back in school and were instigators behind the attack on her, said she too would await the management’s decision.