The recent incident where a set of children joining a school in Bangalore on the underprivileged quota under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, 2009 were made to snip tufts of hair in a bid to distinguish them from the rest (so-called privileged students) points to the glaring violation of the concept of egalitarianism that our society takes pride in. Ever since the Supreme Court has upheld that underprivileged children will be allotted a specific number of seats even in government-unaided schools, schools that would like to associate themselves with the so-called elites were a little reluctant in implementing this pronouncement of the apex Court and the recent Bangalore incident is just a stark reminder of the discriminatory attitude being harboured by the schools meant for the elites— something which by no means can be said to be a healthy precedent.

This incident also reflects on the fact that even after being enacted, the RTE Act has a long way to go in terms of being implemented effectively. Such form of intolerance also has deep psychological impact in the minds of the victims apart making a poor reflection of  the unhealthy mindset of a section of our society  It is, therefore, in this earnest that this incident should serve as a wake-up call for all to rise and prevent the prevalence of such discriminatory practices. It is imperative that disciplinary action is initiated against the school concerned so as to set an example.