11-year-old girl dies after being punished by teacher

New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) An 11-year old schoolgirl who
was allegedly meted out severe corporal punishment by her
school teacher died Friday at a hospital here in India's
national capital after which authorities ordered inquiries
into the shocking incident and Government stressed the need
for counselling centres in schools to prevent such happenings
in future.

Asserting that the National Commission of Child Rights
(NCPCR) needed to be more "proactive", Women and Child
Development Minister Renuka Chowdhry said they need to get
into the school areas to run counselling centres.

"All of us -- the media, parents, citizens -- need to
swing into action. That is a collective failure that we allow
these things to happen," she said.

The NCPCR on its part constituted a two-member
commission of inquiry into the incident which would submit its
report within a week.

The National Commission for Human Rights (NHRC) has
also sought a report within four weeks from the MCD
Commissioner.

Amod Kanth, Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for
Child Rights said, "we have issued a notice to the principal
of the school seeking an explanation as to what happened and
why did it happen".

"The Commission has also written to the Commissioner
of MCD, who is required to conduct an investigation into the
matter and report back to us within seven days," Kanth said.

He said an appropriate legal action will be decided
upon after the MCD submits its report.

The girl was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday
after Manju, a teacher, allegedly punished her for not
answering some questions.

Earlier in the day, the MCD also ordered a vigilance
inquiry into the incident.

Shanno, a class II student of MCD primary school in
Bawana, was "made to stand" in the sun with bricks on her
shoulders allegedly by her teacher. She breathed her last at
Maharishi Valmiki Hospital here this afternoon after battling
for life for two days.

The girl was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday
after Manju, a teacher, allegedly punished her for not
answering some questions.

"She died in the hospital. We are investigating the
case. A case under section 304 of IPC for culpable homicide
not amounting to murder has been registered. We are awaiting
the medical report of the girl," Deputy Commissioner of Police
(Outer Delhi) Atul Katiyar said.

Zaki Ahmed, a doctor who attended the girl, said that
she told them that "two bricks were kept on her shoulders and
then she was asked to stand in the sun for two hours, which
she could not bear and started vomiting."

Her family claimed that the girl was asked to stand in
the sun for two hours for not answering some questions.

"We want justice and no one should suffer something
like this," the child's father Ayub Khan said.

MCD had yesterday suspended principal Dhanpati and
accused teacher Manju who is under suspension. The civic
body's Commissioner K S Mehra also ordered Director of Primary
Education section in the civic body to conduct an inquiry into
the incident.

Choudhury also said the authorities cannot "abdicate"
responsibility by just suspending the teacher. PTI SJY
PMR
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