The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a class III student at Basanti in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district and sought a report from the State government.
Bapi Joardar (10), a student of Nirdeshkhali Notunpara Sishu Siksha Kendra, died at the State-run SSKM hospital Friday morning after his schoolteacher allegedly banged his head against the wall in the school on Wednesday.
“The death of a student is a very serious issue. The commission has taken up the case and directed the State government to send us a report on the incident within 10 days,” Vinod Kumar Tikoo, member of the NCPCR, told
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Following the incident, teacher Champa Mondal was arrested and a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered against her.
“If the NCPCR is not satisfied with the report, it will suggest other measures including the withdrawal of the affiliation of the primary school or a change in its management,” Mr. Tikoo said.
Expressing concern at incidents of corporal punishment, he said despite the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, such incidents were being frequently reported in schools in the State.
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Moreover, the State government has come up with its own definition of corporal punishment in a notification issued in 2011 that claimed that sending a student out of classroom or prohibiting him or her to take part in extracurricular activity would not be considered corporal punishment, Mr. Tikoo pointed out.
“Such a notification by the State government violates Section 17 of the RTE Act that says that no child will be subjected to physical or mental harassment,” he added.