A father’s grim vigil

Things have just gone from bad to worse for Mohammad Ayub Khan in the last 24 hours. The 33-year-old, who lives in Bawana and earns his living as a waiter, has been fighting hard to save his daughter’s life, which was put in jeopardy by her schoolteacher on Tuesday.

Things have just gone from bad to worse for Mohammad Ayub Khan in the last 24 hours.

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The 33-year-old, who lives in Bawana and earns his living as a waiter, has been fighting hard to save his daughter’s life, which was put in jeopardy by her schoolteacher on Tuesday.

Shanno, his 11-year-old daughter and a class II student of the MCD Girls Primary School, Bawana, was admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital in a critical condition on Wednesday after she was punished to stand in the sun for over an hour the day before. A few weeks ago, 10 students of an MCD primary school in new Ashok Nagar were beaten up by their teacher.

“The teacher made her stand in the sun for really long because she had not done her homework. Shanno started bleeding from her nose and she collapsed on her way home. My wife took her first to Maharishi Balmiki Hospital. We have admitted her to the intensive care unit of Lok Nayak hospital today,” said Khan, who has two other daughters studying in the same school.

“Principal Dhanpati and teacher Manju have been suspended with immediate effect. Director (Primary Education) and Deputy Commissioner (Narela Zone) have visited the school to look into the matter and have also met the family members of the child,” said Deep Mathur, director, press and information, MCD.

“The child was brought to us on a transport ventilator from Balmiki Hospital. At the time of admission her condition was very serious, her blood pressure was very low and her pulse extremely weak. Her chances of survival look grim but as doctors it’s our responsibility to keep trying till the very end. A medico-legal case was registered at the time of admission,” said A.P. Dubey, head, paediatric department, Lok Nayak Hospital.