Two schoolchildren in A.P. tied to benches as ‘punishment’, probe ordered

Probe into incident on; headmistress says parents did it

A student with his hands and feet tied to a bench at a school in Kadiri of Anantapur district.

Two children of Massanampet Upper Primary School in Kadiri Municipality of the district were allegedly tied to benches on Thursday by the headmistress, Sridevi, for allegedly writing a ‘love letter’ and not concentrating on studies in the classroom.

The issue came to light when the parents of the children told mediapersons about it. When confronted, the headmistress first said a fifth Standard student had written a “love letter”, and later said he along with a third standard student were making noise. Ms. Sridevi, however, denied that she had tied the hands and legs of the children to the bench, and said it was the parents of the children who had resorted to this kind of punishment.

The issue has been brought to the notice of Regional Director Municipal Administration and Kadiri Municipal Commissioner Pramila. The Regional Director told

The Hindu he had received a complaint against the principal of the school only in the evening and was inquiring into the issue and would take action depending on the outcome.

Andhra Pradesh Bala Hakkula Sangham president Achyuta Rao lodged a complaint with the district Collector and the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and sought action against the school principal. The Collector also initiated an inquiry into the incident. Child Welfare Committee Chairperson Nallani Rajeswari apprised the Collector of the issue and demanded action against the school principal.

Kadiri MLA P.V. Sidda Reddy visited the school a couple of days ago and found that teachers had not come even after the scheduled start without any reason.