VELLORE: The photo of a Class 1 girl with her hand tied to the window with a rope that went viral on social media has raised more questions with possible communal overtones than answers.

A photo of Anushri, daughter of Lukeswaran, a mechanic and Lavanya of KV Kuppam about 20 km from Vellore studying in the panchayat union elementary school in the same town was put on social media on Thursday resulting in Collector P Kumaravel Pandian ordering an inquiry by the district elementary education officer (DEEO) Thayalan on Friday.

However, when reporters confronted the school headmistress, Rohini Lakshmi, about the issue, she said, “the girl’s mother only tied her to the window as she cried about coming to school.” When reporters asked how she as school head allowed this, Rohini replied that she was not present when the incident occurred.

Meanwhile, Lavanya when asked said she herself had tied the girl to the window to prevent her from running back home.

When DT Next contacted DEEO Thayalan, he replied that he had submitted a report to Vellore CEO S Manimozhi and that the student’s mother had admitted her act in writing.