Ludhiana: PSHRC orders probe into thrashing of KG student
In the video, the accused teacher can be seen mercilessly beating up the child with a stick on his feet while two students pinned him down
:A video depicting beating up of a KG (kindergarten) student at Bal Vikas Model Senior Secondary School in Sherpur Kalan, Ludhiana, has shocked the residents. The Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has issued a notice to Ludhiana police commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu directing an immediate suo motu investigation into the matter with a report submission deadline set for November 30.
In the video, the accused teacher can be seen mercilessly beating up the child with a stick on his feet while two students pinned him down. Throughout the video, the cries of the victim, who repeatedly apologises and pleads for mercy, are audible. The victim had been accused of injuring a classmate with a pencil. The accused teacher has been booked under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation), in addition to Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Manoj, deputy district education officer, elementary, said, “The education department is awaiting the completion of the police investigation. Upon receiving the police department’s findings, we will compile our report and share it with the Punjab School Education Board and the education department. Subsequently, they will decide on the appropriate course of action against the school.”
A delegation from the education department, accompanied by district child protection officer Rashmi, visited the school premises. The team confirmed the allegations against the schoolteacher. Seeking severe punishment for the accused and action against the school, the victim’s parents met the education department panel.
Rashmi said, “In compliance with the State Child Rights Commission’s directives, our team conducted a thorough investigation. According to the teacher’s version, he subjected the child to violence due to the alleged pencil incident. We have reassured the family of justice and the child’s well-being. Additionally, we have urged the police to charge the teacher under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which deals specifically with cruelty against children.”
Family members of the victim have claimed that their child endured a similar ordeal for over two days. On returning home, the child was even unable to walk. Marks from the beatings were also evident on the child’s thighs and back, prompting the family to contemplate filing a formal complaint with the police.
The school principal, Shri Bhagwan, offered a contrasting account, asserting that the child had used a pencil to strike another student, resulting in a complaint from the latter’s family. Shri Bhagwan claimed that he had previously cautioned the child about his behaviour.
In the order the PSHRC stated, “The incident indicates that the principal and staff of a private school gave third degree torture to a child studying in KG because he hit a fellow student with a pencil. Some students at the same school recorded the incident. The mother of the child said the child had marks on thighs and back and was unable to walk properly. The commission takes suo motu cognisance of the matter and calls for a report from the commissioner of police, Ludhiana, by the next date of hearing.”
