Class 3 boy refuses to massage, teacher breaks his legPavitra Amrit NEW DELHI, D

Eight-year-old Deepak Kumar is nursing a fracture in the leg after his government school teacher in Shalimar Bagh allegedly picked him up and threw him on the floor.

Deepak’s “crime” for which he was punished was that he refused to massage the legs of a guest  teacher who has now been named in a police complaint by the victim’s family.

“As I refused to give him a massage, he picked me up and threw me on the ground. I wasn’t being able to move my leg after that but he forced me to walk,” said Deepak.

“Sir beats all the boys a lot. He hits us with bottles, places pens between our fingers and presses our hands and even throws us,” said Deepak, as he grimaced in pain in the injuries inflicted during the August 3 incident.

SC ban
The Supreme Court banned corporal punishment for children on December 1, 2000 when it directed the state to ensure “that children are not subjected to corporal punishment in schools and they receive education in an environment of freedom and dignity, free from fear”.

Ranjit Singh, principal of Sarvodya Vidyalaya (BT Block) Shalimar Bagh, tried to hush up the matter, alleged Deepak’s father.

Singh was not available for comment despite several attempts.

Deepak’s mother Poonam Kumar said: “My son is well-mannered and good in academics. His being beaten for refusing to give a massage to his teacher is not only unethical but also inhuman.”

She said she would not rest till the teacher is suspended.

On Friday, the class 3 student’s father Anil Kumar who runs a grocery store in Haiderpur, gave a fresh application to Shalimar Bagh police to take action on his earlier complaint over the incident.

“We had complained to the principal about the violent punishment given by the teacher. Even after this incident, we contacted him but he kept asking us to come on some other day,” said Anil Kumar.

Deputy Commissioner of Police N Gnanasambadan said he was not aware of the incident or the family’s alleged problems in seeking police action against the teacher.

“I will have to gather information on the incident,” he said.

A senior officer at the police station said he had not seen the complaint given by Deepak’s father. A neighbour of the family said another personnel in the police station told the victim’s family that the complaint had been marked to a sub-inspector who has turned out to be on medical leave.

Soon after the incident, Deepak’s friends informed his parents, who then took him to a private hospital where they shelled out nearly Rs 2,000 on treatment.