TOI
New Delhi, Apr 17: An 11-year-old girl, who was battling for life for the past two days after being meted out corporal punishment allegedly by her school teacher, died in a hospital on Friday.
The girl slipped into coma after she was allegedly hit by an MCD schoolteacher and made to stand in the sun for over two hours.
The girl, Shannoo Khan, studied in Class 2 at ND Primary School in Narela, north Delhi.
Union minister Renuka Chowdhury said action will be taken against the teacher. “We need to do more than just a knee-jerk reaction,” she stressed.
Vigilance inquiry has been ordered into the case, said the Delhi mayor. The police have not registered a case yet.
"We have not registered a case in the matter as yet. We are waiting for the medical report," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer Delhi) Atul Katiyar told IANS while confirming that the girl had died.
MCD has denied the incident. An inquiry has been ordered and the principal and teacher placed under suspension.
Shannoo's father, Mohammed Ayub Khan, said: "Police have not yet registered a complaint in the matter. The MCD has suspended the teacher who punished Shannoo but this will not bring our daughter back."
The incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday when the girl failed to recite the English alphabet in class. Angered by this, the teacher allegedly hit Shannoo's head against the table and made her stand in the sun for over two hours. Unable to stand the heat, Shannoo fainted and was found unconscious by her younger sister, who studies in the same school. The girl then informed their mother, Rihanna, who rushed Shannoo to Maharshi Valmiki Hospital.
The girl’s father, who works as a waiter in a catering company, was away in Haryana for work. "I returned at 9.30pm when my younger daughter told me about the incident.
The 11-year-old was shifted to the paediatric ICU of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital on Thursday afternoon. "The child was admitted in with severe seizure and her condition further deteriorated before she slipped into a coma. She was shifted to LNJP in critical condition," said Dr K K Deuri, medical superintendent of Maharshi Valmiki hospital.
MCD officials, however, denied that the girl was punished and said she suffered from frequent seizures. Chairman of the MCD education committee Prithiviraj Sahni said: "The girl has been detained for shortage of attendance. She has been irregular with her classes because of fits. On Wednesday too, she had fits, following which her parents were informed."
Municipal commissioner K S Mehra has asked the director of primary education to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in three days. MCD has already suspended the principal of the school (identified only as Dhanpati) for dereliction of duty and the teacher (identified only as Manju) for alleged corporal punishment.
The latest allegations highlight the MCD's poor record on corporal punishment. In the March 19 incident in New Ashok Nagar where 10 students were thrashed for making noise during mid-day meals, the MCD has held the teacher, Rajpal Sharma, guilty of corporal punishment and suspended him.