Parents cry foul against school for locking up kid

The Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission is investigating charges levelled against a pre-school for locking up a child in a room, twisting her ear and slapping her.

The three-year-old child started attending the pre-school at Kaggadasapura in the first week of June. About ten days later, she came home crying.

Her parents found it unusual as she was fine in the first week of school. When their usually bubbly child came home crying everyday thereafter, the couple grew concerned.

“She started crying when she was playing at our neighbour’s house and they closed the door,” the father said.

Upon probing, the child revealed that she had been locked at school and her ear had been twisted, the parents said. 

After a heated exchange of words, the couple finally withdrew their child from the school and approached the consumer forum.

They were then redirected to the child helpline and to the commission at the end of July. The child underwent counselling and is out of school for now.

No CCTV footage
According to her father, they asked to see the closed circuit TV footage of the classroom. But they were told that they had camera only on the first floor. But the school owner said they have shown the footage to the parents.

She added the footage could not be presented before the commission as it had already been erased by the time of the hearing. 

The school owner said the parents, who live closeby, were harassing her and her children on the road.

She has approached the police to file a case of harassment against them, she said.
She added that the parents do not have any evidence and their account of events are inconsistent.

“We think the child was crying because of separation anxiety. We counselled the parents many times. But now, they have taken drastic steps.”