Teacher beats up 13-year-old in East Delhi

The boy’s parents have claimed that he was hit on his behind with a wooden stick around 16 to 18 times

A 13-year-old student who had not completed his Sanskrit homework was allegedly subjected to corporal punishment so brutal on Thursday that he now struggles to sit or lie down. The boy’s parents have claimed that he was hit on his behind with a wooden stick around 16 to 18 times.

Had not done homework

His class had been asked to learn a list of Sanskrit words, which was supposed to be recited the next day. The 13-year-old, who was absent the day the assignment was given, was allegedly assaulted by the teacher at a government school in East Delhi’s Surajmal Vihar.

The boy's father told The Hindu that when his son could not provide the meaning of the Sanskrit words, the accused teacher Ram Vilas held him by the hand. “He asked another boy to hold the other hand, making it difficult for my child to free himself. The other boy twisted his arm while the teacher landed one blow after the other even as my son kept crying in pain,” he said.

Was asked not to tell anyone

The father added that Mr. Vilas had cautioned the child to not disclose the episode to anyone. “He was silent after coming back from school. But when he went to sleep, he started crying in pain. When his mother asked him what happened, he told her what had happened in school,” he said.

The family then took the child to Hedgewar hospital and contacted advocate Deepak Bansal on Friday, who helped them getting a case registered. About the child’s condition now, the father said the boy was recuperating. Doctors, however, have said that things can take a turn for the worse if lumps form on the injured body parts.

About the school’s response, the father said that the principal questioned the need to approach the police before raising the issue before the management.

“My experience has been that it usually leads to an apology from the teacher,” said the father who is disabled and runs a grocery shop.

A police officer said the teacher has been booked for assault, wrongful restraint and violating the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

He is likely to be questioned soon.