Teacher neither spared rod nor thought

Chandigarh : For not doing his homework, 10-year-old Loveleen Saini of Government Model High School (GMHS), Sector 28, was today allegedly beaten up by his Hindi teacher.

Loveleen, who was among the six class IV students who were beaten up by teacher Indu, received severe injuries on his left shoulder, both arms and right leg.

“Indu madam became furious and asked class monitor Himanshi to get a stick from a nearby classroom. She then beat me up mercilessly,� said Loveleen, the only son of Surjit Singh, a compositor at UT Government Press.

“Loveleen kept weeping even after reaching home. He hid his injuries from us, but we found them. The teacher even asked him not to tell his parents. She told him to say that he fell down,� said his mother Shiksha. “He can neither raise his hand nor sleep due to pain. Several parts of his body bear beating marks,� she added.

He stood second in the last annual examination and secured 70 per cent marks, said Surjit. Indu, while denying charges, said, “He might have fallen somewhere.�

However, a few classmates of Loveleen confirmed that they were beaten up. “Loveleen was badly beaten up by madam,� said one of his classmates.

School principal Subhas Agrawal, who visited the boy’s family, said, “She (the teacher) said the stick hit Loveleen unintentionally.�

Director of Public Instructions (DPI) D.S. Mangat said, “We have issued instructions on banning corporal punishment in schools and we sensitise the teachers about it every year. I will look into the matter.�