GEORGE TOWN, April 5 — The state education department’s claims that it had resolved a bullying and gangsterism case at a school here was a cover up of the “racism” practised by the school management, Penang Deputy Chief Minister Prof P. Ramasamy alleged today.

He accused the headmaster and senior assistant (student affairs) of SMK Bandar Tasek Mutiara of racism by punishing ethnic Indian students who were allegedly involved in a fight with Malay students.

“They expelled two Indian students but they did not take any action against the other students involved who are Malays,” Ramasamy claimed in a press conference today.

He said state education department director Shaari Osman merely sent a circular to all schools to remind teachers and students to be more sensitive towards each other’s races.

“He claimed the issue was resolved and that the senior assistant was transferred so there was no more issue, but this is not true because the other students involved in the fights were not punished,” he said.

Ramasamy said the school senior assistant and headmaster were not punished for their alleged racism against the ethnic Indian students.

He accused Shaari of failing to resolve this issue that escalated into a protest by about 20 parents at the school last Saturday.

Ramasamy claimed that there was blatant racism along with bullying and gangsterism in the school that needed to be resolved.

He also accused the police of taking the cases lightly, especially when a few students had been hospitalised after being involved in fights in the school.

He criticised South Seberang Perai deputy district police chief DSP Shamsuddin Mamat for allegedly criticising the parents for holding the protest.

“The police should be solving this issue instead of criticising the parents who held the protest to demand for justice for their children,” Ramasamy said, adding that he was also stopped from entering the school to speak to the school management over the issue on that day.

When contacted, DSP Shamsuddin clarified that he had merely reassured the students of the school of their safety during a brief assembly on Monday.

“The headmaster was worried as many students are afraid for their safety, especially when there was viral WhatsApp [message] being spread telling the students not to come to school,” he said.

He said he had merely told the students not to believe “stupid viral WhatsApp messages sent by stupid people”.

“I did not talk about the protest at all. I was there to tell the students not to believe the viral WhatsApp and social media warning them from coming to school,” he said.