Srinagar: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have arrested a teacher of a government higher secondary school in Bani of Kathua district for allegedly severely beating up a Class 10 student because he wrote ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on the class blackboard.
The teacher and the principal of the school were both also suspended. The government has ordered two separate enquiries into the matter.
As per the first information report (FIR) registered by Jammu and Kashmir police in the case, the father of the juvenile has claimed that his son, a student of Class 10, was beaten severely by the teacher and principal of the Government Higher Secondary School at Bani for writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan on blackboard.
The father said in the complaint that at around noon on August 25 (Friday) when teacher Farooq Ahmad entered the classroom, he found that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was written on the blackboard. He then, allegedly, beat the boy.
The father claimed that Ahmad then then took the minor to the office of the principal and that he was beaten up there by Ahmad and principal Muhammad Hafeez. The room was locked during the beating, the complaint states.
The juvenile was admitted to the hospital for treatment, it further states.
“Someone called me over the phone on August 25 and told me that my son has been thrashed in the school. I immediately left home and trekked on foot to reach his rented accommodation. I was shocked to find him writhing in pain,” the boy’s father told The Wire.
The incident triggered protests by students on August 26. Several local leaders also visited the institution.
The police have registered an FIR under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against the duo at the Bani police station.
Apart from these, section 75 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, have also been added to the FIR.
Station House Officer of the Bani Police Station, Arjun Magotra, told The Wire that police have registered an FIR in the incident and arrested the teacher.
The authorities of school education department have placed Farooq Ahmad and Muhammad Hafeez under suspension and ordered an enquiry by Director of School Education at Jammu into the matter.
The order for suspension by the department was issued on August 26, the day when the family of the boy registered a complaint in the matter.
The district administration of Kathua has also ordered a separate enquiry in the matter.
In an order, the Deputy Commissioner of Kathua has constituted a three-member committee comprising sub-divisional magistrate, deputy chief education officer Kathua (Billawar) and Principal Government Higher Secondary School, Kharote, to enquire into the incident.
The committee has been directed to submit a fact-finding report along with specific comments and recommendations for proceeding in the matter, apart from fixing the responsibility against the culprit(s) in the incident.
Reacting to the incident, J&K’s former CM Mehbooba Mufti said that hate-mongers won’t even spare kids and appreciated police for prompt action in the matter.
“Hate mongers won’t even spare kids when it comes to their venomous mindset. Appreciate the prompt action taken by Kathua police in filing an FIR. Odd that in the UP case, police is pressurising the child’s father to drop charges against the teacher who encouraged students to thrash him,” she tweeted.
The “UP case” that Mufti is referring to came to light when a video showing the principal of a school forcing students to hit their Muslim classmate for not having learnt maths tables went viral. The Wire has reported on how this student’s family is being pushed to strike a compromise.
