Boy may go deaf after ‘beating’ by teacher

A 14-year-old student of Class IX in Swami Vivekanand Saraswati Mandir school at Sahihabad suffered major injury to his right eardrum after he was allegedly severely beaten up by his teacher on October 31, reports Peeyush Khandelwal.

A 14-year-old student of Class IX in Swami Vivekanand Saraswati Mandir school at Sahihabad suffered major injury to his right eardrum after he was allegedly severely beaten up by his teacher on October 31.

HT Image

Family members and doctors said the child might suffer permanent damage if he is not able to recover his hearing within the next two months.

According to the parents of Prateek Tiwari, the teenager was playing with a friend during lunch-break when English teacher Pradeep Kaushik (35) called him to another room and severely beat him up.

“He got angry when he saw us playing,” Prateek told HT. “When I tried to explain my side of the story, he slapped me hard on the ear, 15-20 times. I can't hear anything from my right ear,” Prateek Tiwari told HT.

Doctors confirmed the injury.

"A severe perforation was found in the ear-drum. The injury is serious and may lead to permanent damage," said Dr. P.P. Verma, ENT surgeon at the Ghaziabad district civil hospital, where Prateek's medical exam was conducted.

“We have lodged a complaint and as soon as medical reports are received, further sections would be added to the first information report (FIR),” said Sanjay Sharma, public relations officer to the SSP, Ghaziabad.

The school's attitude in the matter, claimed Prateek's parents, has been apathetic.

Virender Tiwari, Prateek's father, said he approached school authorities several times but there was no response from the principal. “The principal told me to take Rs 5,000-10,000 for the treatment of the child but refused to take any action against the teacher,” said Tiwari.

When contacted, principal KV Singh said he was "absent" on the day of the incident. “I don't know the details,” he said.