JOIN USTeacher thrashes 12-year-old boy
A 12-year-old boy was beaten black and blue by his teacher after he attempted to sneak out of his Delhi government school.
According to his father Parabhu Mehto, the class 6 student at Rajkiya Uchch Maadhyamik Bal Vidyalaya in north Delhi, was given 35-40 continuous blows on his buttocks with a baton on February 20.
“The teacher asked four students to hold my son. Two of them held his arms and the other two his legs and forced him to lie on a bench after which the teacher started beating him mercilessly. My child was treated like a criminal who gets third degree torture,” said Mehto.
He son Radhey Shyam has been studying at the school in Shahbad Dairy area since the last 10 months.
“He has never taken such a step before. His attendance is also good. When I asked him why he tried to run away, he just told me that he didn't know why he took this step,” the father said.
“Instead of asking if there is something bothering him, he was beaten up badly. He is still in a state of shock,” he added.
The 12-year-old was taken to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini. “He was admitted to the emergency ward and a medico legal case (MLC) was recorded. The police refused to register a case against the teacher,” said Mehto.
His father then submitted a written complaint to Social Jurist, a forum of lawyers working in health and education.
“The present incident reflects a sorry state of Delhi government schools. We are surprised that despite banning corporal punishment by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and interventions of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, students in government-run schools still bear merciless beatings and tolerate violent behaviour of teachers,” said advocate Kusum Sharma, Social Jurist president on Tuesday.
She said the forum had also submitted a written complaint to education minister Kiran Walia.
Stressing on the increasing number of incidents of corporal punishment in government schools in the city, Sharma said although the forum has written several letters to Delhi government seeking action against such teachers, not much has changed.
“The Delhi government has failed to take necessary steps to generate a child-friendly and conducive atmosphere for the students in their schools. The present incident is the outcome of their failure to discharge their duties,” added Sharma.
She urged Walia to take stern action against the teacher. “The errant teacher should be placed under suspension from service in the meantime,” said the letter.
Mehto said a few days after the incident several teachers from the school came to his house to apologise.
“They said that if the boy does not want to take his exams, we will promote him. But Shyam went to school on Monday to write his exam. It is not that the teacher just slapped him a few times. The way he treated my child was inhuman. What do I do with their apology now?” he added.