**Schools in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu will be instructed not to stage events with “risky” stunts, an official told the BBC.**The move follows reports that a martial arts trainer drove a motorcycle over the hands of students.
The show, which was being staged during a function at a school in Villupuram, was stopped after the relative of a minister present protested.
Authorities said students’ parents had pressured the school to hold the event.
The head of Tamil Nadu’s elementary school department, K Devarajan, told the BBC that a circular would be issued to all the 50,000 schools in the state instructing them not to hold any events which involve “risky stunts and practices”.
Safety fears
The circular follows the incident at the elementary school in Villupuram on July 15.
A highlight of the event was a stunt in which a martial art rode a bike over the outstretched hands of students lying on the ground.
Another stunt involved the motorcycle riding over a plank laid on top of a girl student lying on the ground.
Fearing for the safety of the students, a relative of the state higher education minister stopped the event midway.
“Though there are instructions to schools regarding safety of the students, such events sometimes happen because of the overwhelming demand from the parents of the students,” Mr Devarajan said.
He said parents of the students had insisted on this show.
“They told the principal that their children had been trained in such martial arts,” Mr Devarajan said.
One of the parents present at the event told one newspaper that they had consented to the event.
“The students offered to lie down on their own,” S Ilangovan said.
Martial arts is very popular among students in India. Many schools hold special classes.