Rajouri: A schoolteacher has been suspended for allegedly inflicting corporal punishment on two girls at a government-run middle school in Khadurian Panchayat Dramman in the mountaeous Rajouri district. The father of one of the girls, Angrez Singh, has alleged that the girls were targeted because of their religion.
“A report has been received through social media about the beating of two young schoolgirls of Middle School Khadurian Panchayat Dramman by a teacher named Nisar Ahmed,” reads an order issued under the direction of Deputy Commissioner Rajouri. The corporal punishment is banned in schools, daycare, alternative child care institutions etc, the order underlined.
“Hurting a child amounts to a crime and can make a person liable for punishment under sections 323, 325, 352 & 506 of IPC.” Section 23 of the JJ ACT, 2000 states that whoever is in charge of the child and assaults a child, is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to six months or fine or both, it noted.
“Pending enquiry into the incident, teacher Nisar Ahmed is hereby placed under suspension and attached with ADC Kotranka till further orders,” the order reads. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kotranka has been appointed as Inquiry officer to enquire into the incident. He has been asked to specifically look into the points as to whether it is true that the child was beaten, the specific reason for beating the child, the material used for beating the child (stick, rod, scale, hands, legs etc) and whether this is the first child beaten by the teacher or if other students were also beaten up earlier.
The inquiry officer is also required to mention the place of posting of Nisar Ahmed and tenure of posting in the particular school as well as the name of other teachers posted in the school and present at the time of incident. Meanwhile, Angrez Singh, the father of one of the victim students alleged that his daughter was beaten up because she was wearing a bindi on her forehead. He added that his daughter is under stress.
