Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala General Education department has served a show-cause notice to a teacher of a government school for allegedly locking female students inside a classroom and forcing them to do sit-ups while holding their earlobes as punishment.

The notice was served to a faculty member at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Cottonhill, according to an official statement issued on Sunday.

According to media reports, the students were allegedly punished for leaving their classroom during the national anthem last week.

Several students missed their buses as a result of the punishment. Parents became aware of the incident when their wards arrived home later than usual.

However, the General Education Minister V Sivankutty's office issued a statement regarding the matter without elaborating.

A show-cause notice has been issued to the teacher, and action was taken based on a report submitted by the District Education Officer, it said.

An inquiry was conducted as per Minister Sivankutty's directive, it added.

The school authorities were unavailable for comment