A student strike at Ruhaama Secondary School in Ntungamo District turned violent on Sunday morning when police fired shots, injuring two students.
Mr. Nicholas Tumutoraine, the school’s head teacher, confirmed the incident, explaining that the violence erupted after two students were punished for violating school rules.
“Students became rowdy on Sunday morning and started destroying glass windows. This was after teachers found two students, a male and a female, coupling and punished them. This seemed to have angered others who turned rowdy,” Mr. Tumutoraine said.
Ms. Shanita Bamutegeine, one of the students shot, is admitted at Family Doctors Clinic in Ntungamo Municipality. She explained that they sought refuge in a neighboring home, where police and school security guards found them and opened fire.
“Following the chaos, we ran to one of the homes in the neighborhood. It’s there that a female police officer and two school guards found us. They ordered us to open the door, kneel down, opened fire at us, and left immediately,” Ms. Bamutegeine, who was shot in the lower abdomen, said.
Another student, Mr. Robin Asiimwe, was shot in the hip and is admitted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. His mother explained that he was visiting his grandmother near the school when he was caught up in the chaos.
“The medical bills are becoming exorbitant each and every day, but what is paining us is that the people (police) who shot him have remained quiet,” she said.
