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Hisar school shocker: School principal held, hunt on to nab other 3 accused
Investigation officer (IO) and deputy superintendent of the police (headquarters), Ashok Kumar has denied the charges
Police on Wednesday arrested the school principal of a private school for her alleged involvement in ‘naming and shaming’ of six Class 4 students, including two girls, on the school premise last Friday.
The principal, along with three teachers, was booked on Monday under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly blackening the faces of six Class 4 students and parading them on the premises for securing low marks in an English test.
The case was registered on a complaint lodged by the parents of a nine-year-old Dalit girl.
Investigation officer (IO) and deputy superintendent of the police (headquarters), Ashok Kumar, confirmed the matter and said, “We have arrested the principal and produced her before a local court which has sent her to 14-day judicial custody. Investigation in the matter is ongoing and hunt is on to nab the other three accused who remain at large.”
The officer said the school principal has denied the charges. “The hard disk of the CCTV has been procured from the school premise and sent for forensic examination,” he added.
KIN WITHDRAWS COMPLAINT
Parents of another student who had come forward with similar allegations withdrew their complaint on Tuesday, the DSP said.
A senior police official, who requested anonymity, said two of the four accused are students of Class 7 and a sweeper who were “just following the principal’s orders”.
SCHOOL TO SHUT DOWN
In view of the incident, the education department has initiated action against the school and sought its closure permanently.
When contacted, the district elementary education officer (DEEO) Dhanpat Ram said, “We have written to the higher authorities to cancel the temporary recognition of the school. According to our records, the school is from Nursery to Class 5, but was conducting classes for Class 6 to 10 students without permission/recognition. This is illegal under the laws of education department.”
He further said the department has already asked the parents to shift students to a nearby government school free of cost. “Parents are free to ask anything from us and we are ready to help them in every way,” the DEEO said, adding that the students from Class 6 to 10 were originally enrolled in other schools having recognition but were taking classes in this school.
Meanwhile, following direction of the district head of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Punit Garg, a counsellor visited the nine-year-old victim.
Notably, the girl’s father had approached Hisar police on Sunday evening and alleged that the teacher used a black sketch pen on the face of the Class 4 students and took them around the class, asking other students to shout “shame” at them.“My daughter refused to go to school on Saturday. When I asked her the reason, she kept crying. Later, my younger daughter narrated the episode,” he said.
