Teacher Slaps Student 40 Times for Not Answering Attendance Call

Lucknow: In a shocking incident, a teacher slapped a student 40 times in 2 minutes at a School in Lucknow for not responding to her attendance call. The teacher didn't stop there. She knocked the 7-year-old head against a wall multiple times.

The horrific case came to light when the child, Ritesh, reached home with swollen cheeks and kept silent throughout the day. His father Praveen Gupta asked him if he was fine. The kid stayed mum.

Ritesh's silence worried his father, compelling him to inquire further about the matter. Praveen came to know about the incident through Ritesh's friends and met Principal Ronald Rodriguez and asked for the CCTV footage. The father and the principal were shocked to see the footage and Praveen filed a complaint against the teacher.

The class teacher who mercilessly beat up the student was suspended after the school administration watched the CCTV footage of the incident. The parents have moved the police station, filing a complaint against the teacher. No action has been taken as yet.

The Heritage School, S Swaraj, told CNN-News18 that there was a need for drawing a "Lakshman Rekha". "Teachers deal with these young minds, and they cannot be insensitive towards them," she said, adding that in such a situation, "we usually counsel a student."

This shouldn't have happened, she said, referring to the incident.

The Central Board of Secondary Education had, in 2014, written a letter to all the schools, warning them against corporal punishment, and encouraging them to work towards the eradication of this practice.

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, prohibits ‘physical punishment’ and ‘mental harassment’ under Section 17(1) and makes it a punishable offence under Section 17(2).

The guidelines issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on eliminating corporal punishment in schools, elaborating the RTE’s classification, defines corporal punishment not only as physical punishment but also mental harassment and discrimination.