Delhi teacher booked, suspended for assaulting specially-abled student

A special education teacher of a prominent private school in Greater Kailash 2, south Delhi was booked for allegedly assaulting a five-year-old differently-abled student, police officers aware of the matter said on Sunday, adding that the accused teacher, who is in her 30s, has since been suspended by the school.

According to officers, the incident took place on April 25 and came to light when the authorities at Balwantray Mehta Vidya Bhawan were checking CCTV footage at random. A senior official from the school said the video ostensibly shows the teacher “inflicting corporal punishment” to a child with special needs (CWSN) in front of the entire classroom. The school has more than 300 students with special needs.

Police said the head of the school and school authorities approached them and a first information report (FIR) was lodged on Friday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. No arrests have been made yet.

A senior police officer said that according to the complaint filed by the school, the teacher allegedly “tied the child’s hands and taped his mouth”. “He was singled out from a group of students. The teacher, in the presence of other students, tortured and abused the child. The boy is a specially abled child and was thrashed by the teacher,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

“We are in the process of taking down statements of both parties and witnesses. We are also verifying the allegations and will scan school CCTVs for evidence. The head of the school filed a complaint. The medical examination of the student has been done and he is being counselled by doctors,” added the officer.

The child, who has an intellectual disability, did not narrate the ordeal to his parents as he was also threatened by the teacher, police said, adding that he later said he was “tortured” for skipping class work.

Separately, the school authorities issued a statement saying the institution has a zero-tolerance policy towards corporal punishment. “The school... is known for giving CWSN special care, attention and affection. The behaviour of the Special Education Teacher was unacceptable and beyond our imagination. The act of teacher is also in violation of section 17 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, Directorate of Education and various circulars of school management. The Principal decided to remove her from academic duty immediately and she was sent on mandatory leave within a few hours. The local police officials were also informed by call and e-mail... The parents of said child were informed,” the school principal said.

Police and school authorities said they were also checking if this was an isolated incident or if the teacher had previously harassed other students. The accused teacher has been identified and bound down, said police and legal action will be taken according to the probe.