Teacher arrested for beating class V student, fracturing her finger
The teacher was granted bail by a local court on Monday (Representational Image)
Police on Monday arrested a female teacher of a private school in Navi Mumbai for allegedly hitting a ten-year-old with a duster, causing her to suffer from a fractured finger.
The accused teaches Environmental Science (EVS) to Class V students of Ryan Groups’ St. Joseph’s High School in Panvel.
According to officials, the teacher hit over a dozen students with a duster on Saturday for not completing their homework and not carrying a specific notebook.
One of the female students sustained a hair line fracture between the fingers due to the beating and had to be taken to a hospital for treatment.
Her parents shared the incident with other parents via their social media group, following which other students also confessed to having been beaten by the same teacher.
Initially, the parents tried to bring the matter to the principal’s attention. However, his refusal to entertain the case forced them to register a formal complaint with Khandeshwar police station.
The teacher was subsequently booked under section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
She was believed to have been absconding earlier, but was finally arrested on Monday. The teacher was produced in a Panvel court the same day, which granted her bail.
Meanwhile, cops have recorded the statements of the parents, principal and other staff.
They are also trying to ascertain if the principal was in the know and had ignored such instances in the past.
According to a Supreme Court directive, states are expected to ensure that students are not “subjected to corporal punishment in schools and they receive education in an environment of freedom and dignity, free from fear.”
