TURA: A representative of a publishing company became the victim of a rumour, which started from a Facebook post, in a school here on Friday.
The employee of the publishing house in Shillong that had supplied books to the school in the past came to Auxilium Secondary School on Friday morning to promote the latest books. But guardians mistook him for someone else and tried to assault him.
There were rumours in Garo Hills that children are being forcibly administered injections by unidentified people. So the school had sealed the main gate as a precautionary measure.
The representative was allowed inside the school premises after identification.
A group of parents, who were waiting for their wards outside, grew suspicious after they saw the visitor’s red car with a West Bengal registration number.
When the school bell rang for recess, some children ran away and others began to cry after hearing about the visit.
Amid the din the school authority advised the visitor to leave and escorted him when a group of angry parents entered the campus and tried to manhandle him. They also assaulted his driver.“We tried to clarify the entire situation and even told them that we had verified his identity as he had supplied us books in the past too,” said Sr Elizabeth, Sister Superior of the Auxilium School.
Police had to intervene to bring the situation under control. They inspected his identity papers and escorted him out of the school compound and the town.
The school declared half day in view of the chaos.
The DC,West Garo Hills has issued a clarification that no permission was given to anyone for administering injections. It is suspected that the rumour originated from the Purakhasia border belt.
