Boy loses sight in left eye as teacher hits him

The town police have registered a case against P Joseph, headmaster of Christaraja Balapattana Higher Primary School here, for beating a student with an iron scale that resulted in the loss of the boy’s sight in the left eye.

Joseph, who has applied for leave, is absconding. Police are on the lookout for him. The school administrative board has suspended Joseph.

The victim is a 14-year-old boy, studying in class VIII. He was taken for treatment at hospitals in Coimbatore, Mysuru and Bengaluru.

The doctors have explained that it is not possible to restore the boy’s vision even if a surgery is performed. This is because the nerves of his eyes have been badly damaged.

According to police sub-inspector S L Sagar, the incident occurred in January. But the parents lodged a police complaint only on Saturday (June 2). A case has been registered against Joseph, he said.

Sagar said Joseph had warned the boy not to tell anybody about the corporal punishment. When he started losing vision in his left eye in May. He later told his parents about Joseph’s thrashing, the SI said.

According to the boy’s family, they took him to three hospitals in Mysuru and St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru.

But the doctors said it is not possible for the student to regain his sight.