Photographer booked over pics of 'vulgar' girls' uniform
The photographer who posted a picture of Kerala school's 'vulgar' uniform, has been booked under the POCSO Act after the school filed a case. Zachariah Pookunnam had first posted the picture on his Facebook page, saying that he received it from a friend. The school had claimed that the picture was photoshopped and it was not the actual uniform issued.
A school in Aruvithura, Kottayam, is under fire for implementing an outrageous dress code for girls. The design of the school uniform has not only triggered a huge controversy but it has also got the ruling party CPM to hold a protest today seeking a withdrawal of the 'vulgar' uniform design.Zachariah Pookunnam, a photographer who first posted the picture of the 'indecent' dress on social media, said  he received the photo from a friend in Erattupetta in Kottayam. Terming it 'vulgar', Pookunnam had posted the picture of the school uniform on his Facebook page. The school received a lot of flak for its decision forcing girl students to wear the school uniform which they described as embarrassing.  SCHOOL MANAGEMENT FILES CASE AGAINST PHOTOGRAPHERFurious over Pookunnam highlighting the school's act, the management filed a police case against the photographer - Bose Eapen - who shot the girls in the controversial uniform.The Erattupetta police have charged Eapen under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Eapen has applied for anticipatory bail."This is just a baseless allegation against me and I see this as an attack against individual's right to speak. The situation has gone really worse as I cannot even face my relatives or friends," Eapen said.WHAT THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION SAIDSr Rosily, the school principal, went on record to say that the photo had been photoshopped and it was not uniform that was issued to the girls. The principal went on to say that the parents of the children studying there had not raised an issue until the alleged photo went viral.Parents-Teachers Association president Sabu Cyraic said that there was no problem with the uniform and no parent had objected to it. Rather the uniform was based on a booklet that showed designs for uniforms. "Obscenity lies in the eyes of the beholder," Cyraic said.