'Probe on, will take action against Shano's teacher'

A day after 11-year-old Shano Khan died after being subjected to corporal punishment by her teacher for not knowing the English alphabet, police on Saturday said action would be taken after examining the medical and autopsy reports.

A day after 11-year-old Shano Khan died after being subjected to corporal punishment by her teacher for not knowing the English alphabet, police on Saturday said action would be taken after examining the medical and autopsy reports.

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"The investigation into the case is on. We are looking into the postmortem and medical reports forwarded by the hospital. We will take necessary action after analysing them," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer Delhi) Atul Katiyar told IANS.

Shano slipped into a coma on Wednesday after her class teacher Manju in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) primary school in Narela in north Delhi beat her and made her stand in the heat for more than an hour for failing to recite the alphabet.

The girl was shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital Thursday evening after her condition deteriorated. She died Friday afternoon.

Following the incident, which sent shock waves across the nation, the teacher was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The teacher Friday wrote a letter to the deputy education officer of Narela, professing her innocence.

While the MCD suspended the teacher and the school principal Thursday, Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra announced compensation of Rs.50,000 for Shano's parents.

Shano was a resident of the Bawana resettlement colony in Narela area of northwest Delhi. She had six siblings - four sisters and two brothers.

Her death is not an isolated incident. In March 2008, a 15-year-old girl was hit by a male teacher for refusing to take private tuition from him. The girl died after remaining in coma for nearly two-and-a-half months.