A madrasa functioning inside the Basheerabad Mosque in Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur district, has dismissed a teacher after CCTV footage surfaced showing him physically assaulting students.

The institution, which provides Islamic education to around 60 boys and girls with the help of four teachers, had already received multiple complaints from parents about the behaviour of one teacher, identified as Sohaeb. According to parents and staff, he was known for frequently scolding and physically punishing children despite repeated warnings from the madrasa and mosque administration.

Recently, during a class, he reprimanded a group of students for not studying well. He was then seen in CCTV recordings hitting one student and sending him home. In another instance captured on camera, he lifted a student with both hands and threw him to the ground, causing the child to cry. Portions of this footage were leaked and rapidly circulated on social media.

Following the public circulation of the videos, the madrasa administration removed Sohaeb from his post. Authorities at the mosque said the dismissal was carried out immediately after confirming the incidents shown in the CCTV recordings.

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nainar Nagenthran condemned this heinous act and wrote on his X handle, “Who gave religious teachers the right to torment children? A shocking video has emerged from Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur district, showing a madrasa schoolteacher brutally beating and throwing students. After watching the video, it raises painful questions: “What mistake could have justified a young student being thrown like that? Who gave the teacher the right to hit and mistreat small children who came for religious education? How many more of our children are suffering abuse like this in religious schools?” Countless such questions trouble the mind.

As the self-proclaimed protector of secularism and the “Appa” (father) of Tamil Nadu’s children, Chief Minister Thiru. @mkstalin, I urge that immediate action be taken against the madrasa schoolteacher involved in violence against children.”

குழந்தைகளை வதைக்கும் உரிமையை மதபோதகருக்கு அளித்தது யார்?

திருப்பத்தூர் மாவட்டம் வாணியம்பாடியில் மதரஸா பள்ளி மாணவர்களை ஆசிரியர் ஒருவர் கொடூரமாகத் தாக்கி தூக்கி வீசும் காணொளி வெளியாகியுள்ளது மிகுந்த அதிர்ச்சியளிக்கிறது.

காணொளியைப் பார்த்த பின், "படிக்க வந்த சிறுவனைத்… pic.twitter.com/TLWQOhV3wm

— Nainar Nagenthran (@NainarBJP) November 17, 2025

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The post Vaniyambadi Madrasa Teacher Caught On Camera Assaulting Students, Dismissed; BJP TN Chief Nainar Nagenthran Slams Child Abuse In Such Schools appeared first on The Commune.

In yet another disturbing incident, a viral video has emerged showing students from the Panchayat Union Middle School in Vaniyambadi’s C.V. Pattarai area engaged in construction work on the upper floor of their school building. The footage, which has been widely shared on social media, has sparked sharp criticism and raised serious concerns about child safety and labor rights.

As the outrage grew, headmistress Shobana offered an explanation, stating that students had only assisted briefly during a cleanup effort to address water leakage caused by recent rains. According to her, students joined cleaning staff voluntarily and were sent back to class immediately once noticed. However, many locals and netizens remain unconvinced, arguing that the incident reflects a broader negligence in the state’s public school system.

வாணியம்பாடி சி.வி.பட்டறை பகுதியில் உள்ள ஊராட்சி ஒன்றிய நடுநிலைப்பள்ளியின் மேல்தளத்தில், கட்டட பணியில் பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் சீருடையுடன் ஈடுபடும் காட்சிகள் வைரல் ஆகி வருகின்றன. இதுகுறித்து நம்மிடம் பேசிய தலைமையாசிரியை சோபனா, வகுப்பறையில் மழைநீர் ஒழுகுவதால் அதனை சரிசெய்ய, தூய்மை… pic.twitter.com/mHHmrYdRbl

— PttvOnlinenews (@PttvNewsX) August 15, 2025

Amid mounting backlash, Tamil Nadu BJP Youth Wing President S.G. Suryah launched a scathing attack on the DMK-led government. Sharing the video, he invoked a biting Tamil proverb, “If a ghost rules, even scriptures will allow eating corpses,” to emphasize the perceived decay in governance. He wrote, “This phrase accompanies a picture of school students in uniform working on the construction of the top floor of a school in Vaniyambadi. What is the response of Udhayanidhi’s full-time fan club president and part-time Minister of School Education, Mr. @Anbil_Mahesh?”

பேய் அரசாண்டால் பிணம் திண்ணும் சாத்திரங்கள்!

வாணியம்பாடி ஊராட்சி ஒன்றிய பள்ளியின் மேல்தளத்தில், கட்டட பணியில் பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் சீருடையுடன் ஈடுபடும் காட்சிகள்.

முழு நேர உதயநிதி ரசிகர் மன்ற தலைவரும், பகுதி நேர பள்ளிக்கல்வி அமைச்சருமான திரு.@Anbil_Mahesh அவர்களின் பதில் என்னவோ? pic.twitter.com/1PhcLUCdrz

— Dr.SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) August 15, 2025

Critics are demanding accountability and questioning how such incidents continue to occur under the current administration, especially in institutions meant to safeguard and educate children not exploit them.

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The post Viral Video Shows Students Doing Construction Work In Vaniyambadi Govt School; Sparks Outrage appeared first on The Commune.

A recent study published in The Lancet has brought to light a disturbing outbreak in Tamil Nadu’s Tirupattur district, where eight individuals died in 2023 after contracting neuromelioidosis, a rare and severe brain infection, traced back to a dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town. The source of the outbreak was identified as a contaminated saline bottle used during dental procedures.

The incident, which went unreported by government bodies, was uncovered through a detailed investigation led by a multidisciplinary team including doctors from CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE, and the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health. The team discovered that poor sterilization practices at the dental facility were the root cause.

According to the study, the infection spread after a periosteal elevator, a surgical instrument, was used to puncture the seal of a saline bottle. The bottle was then loosely closed and reused on multiple patients, resulting in at least ten infections, of which eight proved fatal. Dr. Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar, the study’s lead author from CMC’s Department of Neurological Sciences, stated that the 80% fatality rate was due to the bacteria entering directly through the nerves during oral procedures, bypassing the bloodstream.

Neuromelioidosis is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a bacterium commonly found in soil and water in tropical climates. It severely affects the central nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms typically include fever, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, and, in some cases, facial paralysis. Genome sequencing revealed that the strain involved in this outbreak possessed a gene that makes it particularly aggressive in attacking the brain.

Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers identified 21 cases of neuromelioidosis. Among them, ten patients had been treated at the dental clinic; of these, eight died. The other 11 patients, who had no link to the clinic, experienced only one fatality, marking a much lower death rate of 9%. Geographically, 17 of the cases occurred in Tirupattur, two in Ranipet, and one each in Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri.

Data showed that patients infected through the dental clinic succumbed to the illness much more quickly. On average, death occurred 16 days after symptoms appeared and nine days after hospitalisation, compared to 56 days and 38 days respectively for those not exposed via the clinic.

Dr. T. S. Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu’s Director of Public Health, acknowledged that the findings would assist in identifying similar cases for better outbreak response and local containment. “We’ve taken corrective steps to control the spread. This serves as a crucial reminder for healthcare providers to strictly follow infection control protocols,” he said.

The first alert came on 9 May 2023, when CMC Vellore reported a spike in neuromelioidosis cases, some linked to the dental clinic. A few days later, a coordination meeting was held with healthcare providers in Tirupattur and nearby districts. A medical team was promptly formed to investigate and trace the source.

However, by the time officials arrived at the dental facility, it had already been disinfected, closed, and its water supply cut off—reportedly in response to public outrage. Still, scientists managed to isolate Burkholderia pseudomallei from a previously opened saline bottle. No contamination was found in sealed, unused bottles. Genetic sequencing confirmed the findings.

Interestingly, the clinical presentations varied between those linked to the clinic and those who were not. Non-clinic cases often showed salivary gland swelling, cheek inflammation, and enlarged lymph nodes. In contrast, patients who had visited the dental clinic exhibited more severe and faster-developing symptoms such as facial cellulitis and soft tissue abscesses, likely due to ingestion of the tainted saline.

This tragic event underscores the critical importance of strict hygiene protocols in medical and dental facilities and raises urgent questions about regulation and oversight in private clinics.

(With Inputs From Times Of India)

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The post Lancet Blows Lid Off 2023 Brain Infection Outbreak That Left 8 Dead, Contaminated Saline At Vaniyambadi Dental Clinic To Blame; Will TN Govt Agencies Be Held Accountable? appeared first on The Commune.

In a remarkable discovery, palm leaf manuscripts of the Ramayana dating back 250 years have been found near Vaniyambadi for the first time. The discovery was made during a field survey led by Dr. K. Mohan Gandhi, a Professor of Tamil at Tirupathur Pure Heart College, alongside Kaninilam Munusamy, Siddha practitioner Srinivasan, and Dr. Kamini.

Dr. Mohan Gandhi explained how the find came about, “A third-year computer science student, Monish, mentioned that his grandmother had ancient manuscripts. This led us to Ezhil Ammaiyar, a retired teacher residing in Vanniya Adikalar Nagar near Chettiyappanur, Vaniyambadi. She showed us five bundles of manuscripts she had collected, which turned out to be Ramayana manuscripts.”

The manuscripts were meticulously examined, with the fifth bundle revealing intriguing details. The bundle contained 419 leaves, written on both sides, measuring approximately 1.36 feet in length and 0.13 feet in width. The pages feature 7 to 8 lines of text, with 49 to 52 characters per line. The title page of the manuscript reads “Virapadhamma Kavadan Penchathi Narasammal Ezhithinathu,” (விறப்பதம்ம கவடன் பெஞ்சாதி நரசம்மாள் எழிதினது) and the manuscript starts with the story of Rama and Lakshmana informing Ravana about the death of Thumba and Nithumba in battle.

Each leaf is marked with a Tamil numeral page number and the phrase “Nandraga” (Good) on the cover. The manuscripts show signs of aging, with slight damage, including some torn and stuck-together leaves. The writing style is believed to be at least 250 years old, with the last leaf containing a concluding note.

Before the use of modern paper, ancient Tamil literature was often inscribed on palm leaves. This discovery is significant as it illustrates that the Ramayana was circulating in Tamil Nadu through manuscript form up to 250 years ago. Professor Dr. V. Nedunchezhiyan from Tiruvannamalai, a retired principal, also assisted in reading and interpreting the manuscripts.

Dr. Gandhi emphasized the need for the district administration to preserve and document these ancient manuscripts, highlighting their cultural and historical value.

(With inputs from Kamadenu)

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