AP: Corporal punishment on the rise, 2 incidents in 48 hours
There seems to be no letdown in cases of corporal punishment in Andhra Pradesh. Two cases have been reported from the state in less than 48 hours, one of them proving fatal.
A class X student Mohammed Islmail died after he was allegedly made to do sit ups as punishment in the school. The victim’s parents allege that after the punishment, the boy suffered a breakdown and died in the hospital.
“The Royal Embassy School tortured my son to death. Strict action as per the laws must be taken against them,” Ismail’s father Mohd Siddique Hussain said.
The family claims Ismail was punished on September 4. He died on Thursday afternoon. A post mortem report is awaited to ascertain if the act of corporal punishment led to the 15-year-old’s death.
“We’ve registered a case of death 304-A. The cause of death will be known only once the medical records and the post-mortem report comes out,” DCP Akun Sabharwal said.
This came close on the heels of yet another alleged corporal punishment case in Guntur district. The head master of a municipal high school has been accused of beating two students with a piece of wire. The students say they were punished for not adhering to the school dress code.
Andhra Pradesh has the dubious distinction of the maximum number of corporal punishment incidents recorded. While swift enquiries were ordered, the concern is such incidents continue.
