A section of students at Government Middle School at Vada Pudupattu village that comes under Madhanur Panchayat Union were allegedly roped in by local functionaries of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to tie party flags on the steel median of Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) near Ambur town in Tirupattur, inviting public outcry.

The police said that a group of students in the village was on their way to school on the stretch when they were told by local TVK functionaries to tie party flags with small poles attached to it on the steel median of the stretch to mark the Chief Minister’s birthday.

The police said the video of the incident was uploaded on social media. Following the incident, the party flags were removed. The police said that a strict warning was issued to local party functionaries and cadres not to use children and school students for such purposes.

Officials of the School Education Department said that the incident happened outside the school campus. As a result, the incident was not reported to the Chief Educational Officer in Tirupattur. Nevertheless, a probe is under way to ascertain the veracity of the incident based on which necessary action will be initiated, officials said.