Case booked against government school teacher who beat up student in Puzhuthivakkam

A case has been registered over an incident in which a 11-year-old Class V girl student of the Greater Chennai Corporation Primary School in Puzhuthivakkam was beaten up by her teacher reportedly over spilling ink on the floor. The police have registered a case under Section 118 (1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (TNSCSCST) has called for a report from the Inspector of Police of the Madipakkam station over a complaint submitted to it.

The complaint stated that relevant Sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 had not been invoked while registering the case against the teacher. The Commission directed the Police Inspector to appear before it with the report on November 10.

The complaint was submitted to the TNSCSCST Chairperson, retired judge Justice S. Tamilvanan, and Vice-Chairperson Imayam alias V. Annamalai. Complainant G. Pramila of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) said S. Nithisha was a Class V student and her teacher Indira Gandhi beat up the child with a mop on October 9 for having spilled ink on the floor. The girl was admitted to a private hospital.

It was eventually found that the child had internal bleeding, and she was later admitted to the intensive care unit in the Kalaignar Centenary Super Specialty Hospital between October 23 and 26.

No action initially

Since there was no action by the Madipakkam police station on the complaint filed over the incident, the AIDWA staged a protest, and only after their protest, the police registered the case, the complaint said.

It further alleged that proper action on the complaint had not been taken only because the child belonged to one of the Scheduled Castes and further relevant sections of the the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have not been invoked.