Moradabad: Class 3 girl ‘loses vision’ after principal’s ‘thrashing’, probe begins

Police and education officials in Moradabad, UP, investigate a headmistress accused of causing a Class 3 girl's severe eye injury, leading to vision loss.

A team of police and basic education department on Thursday initiated an inquiry into an around a month-old incident wherein a Class 3 girl student of a primary school in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district was allegedly thrashed by the headmistress and suffered a severe eye injury, leading to a loss of vision in one eye later, officials said.

A team of police and basic education department has started an inquiry into the incident. (For Representation)

“The inquiry will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, and appropriate action will be taken after its completion,” said Moradabad basic siksha adhikari Ajit Kumar, adding the probe began under the supervision of additional BSA Shivam Gupta.

After struggling for treatment for weeks, the family of eight-year-old girl Himanshi Kashyap finally approached DM Anuj Singh, following which medical intervention was arranged at AIIMS Delhi.

The victim’s mother, Jyoti Kashyap, lodged a complaint against school principal Geeta Karal with the DM. Following it, the matter was reported to the police. SP (city) Kumar Ranvijay Singh also confirmed that an investigation into the matter was underway.

Refuting the allegations, headmistress Geeta Karal claimed, “There are no rules allowing corporal punishment in schools and I never hit the student. The allegations are completely baseless.” “The girl’s mother approached me for an official certificate regarding the child’s vision loss, but I refused as it was beyond my jurisdiction. She then misbehaved with me and threatened to file a complaint,” she further claimed.

“My daughter began experiencing severe pain in her right eye soon after the incident. As the days passed, there was redness and swelling in her eye and ultimately complete loss of vision in the affected eye over the past few days,” alleged the victim’s mother.

Despite multiple visits to local doctors and the district hospital, no effective treatment was provided. Specialists in Moradabad reportedly advised the family to seek medical help in Delhi. “We couldn’t afford treatment in Delhi as my husband is an e-rickshaw driver,” Jyoti said. After she complained to the DM, chief medical officer Dr Kuldeep Singh coordinated with AIIMS Delhi.

According to the CMO, blood circulation in the eye’s nerves has been obstructed, requiring urgent treatment before any attempt can be made to restore vision. “Doctors have warned if the nerve damage is irreversible, regaining eyesight may not be possible,” he said. ( With PTI inputs)