Teacher booked for slapping, isolating 3-year-old boy

In the classroom’s CCTV footage, it was seen that the boy was pulling a girl’s hair after she took his toy, following which the teacher slapped him and isolated him for 20 minutes, the boy’s mother told the police

NAVI MUMBAI: A nursery teacher of a Belapur school was booked on Monday for allegedly slapping and isolating a three-year-old boy earlier this month. In the classroom’s CCTV footage, it was seen that the boy was pulling a girl’s hair after she took his toy, following which the teacher slapped him and isolated him for 20 minutes, the boy’s mother told the police.

Teacher booked for slapping, isolating 3-year-old boy

According to the police, on October 8, the boy’s mother went to the school around 12.20 pm to pick him up and was asked to meet the vice-principal, who told her that her son had been mischievous in his class and had pulled a classmate’s hair. The mother assured staff she would speak to him, but on reaching home, she noticed red marks and visible finger imprints on his right cheek.

Following this, she returned to the school around 1 pm, confronted the staff and requested to view CCTV footage. The administration refused to show her the footage but reportedly admitted that the teacher had made a mistake, said a police officer.

Four days later, on October 12, the family was finally shown the footage. In the video, it was reportedly seen that the boy was pulling a girl’s hair after she took his toy, following which the teacher slapped him and isolated him for 20 minutes from 11:50 am to 12:10 pm, he added.

“Despite repeated follow-ups, including an email on October 15 requesting a copy of the footage, the family claimed the school did not respond,” the officer said.

Subsequently, the boy’s mother approached the police on Monday and based on her complaint, a case was registered against the teacher under Section 75 (cruelty towards a child by a person responsible for their care) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. In her complaint, the boy’s mother also claimed that the boy was expelled after the incident without prior notice.