Makkah: Police in the holy city sought the help of some 10 female jail wardens to rescue principal of a girls' school, who was physically assaulted and besieged by rioting students at her office.
The incident occurred at 17 Intermediate School in Makkah's Mansour district on Monday, the last day of the first semester examinations. According to sources, the immediate provocation for rioting by girl students, who developed ire against the principal for some reasons, was confiscation of their mobile phones at examination hall.
Major Abdul Mohsen Al Maiman, spokesman at Makkah police, said police intervened after receiving a call from Ebrahim Al Lahyani, husband of the principal, to rescue her from the siege of angry students.
"Immediately, we brought in wardens from a women's prison to break the siege and rescue the principal," he told reporters.
The police officer refused to comment on the reasons behind the students to go on the rampage.
"The incident occurred inside the campus of an institution under the Ministry of Education. It is they, who have to comment on it. Our only duty was to intervene to bring in normalcy and rescue the besieged principal after receiving a formal complaint from her husband," he said, adding that the security forces performed their duty within their jurisdiction.
During the riot, girls ransacked the office room, broke tables and chairs. The rioting happened after the principal and her assistant found seven camera phones, makeup items and perfume in classrooms while students sat for examinations.
Once examinations were over, students whose mobiles and other possessions were taken rushed to the principal’s office to protest.
According to well-informed sources, the girl students were furious against the principal and confiscation of mobile phones was only a provocation. "We were outraged at the rude behaviour of the principal and her continuous harassment," some students, who requested anonymity, told reporters.
However, Ebrahim Al Lahyani, the principal's husband, rejected this as a baseless allegation. He also added that the principal used to get threatening calls and text messages every now and then from some students.
There are 900 students at the school. Most of them are expatriates of African origin. The actual principal of the school was on sick leave and since then, Lahyani's wife has been working as acting principal.
A number of teachers had earlier unsuccessfully tried to calm the students down. Police have filed cases against the students with the Education Department in Makkah, which has set up a committee to investigate the incident.
