Rights panel seeks report in school brutality case

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken a suo motu cognisance of a news report that exposed a shocking incident involving a 7-year-old class second student of Srijan Public School in Panipat. It was alleged that the principal, Reena, along with school bus driver Ajay, subjected the child to corporal punishment for not completing homework.

The child was allegedly tied upside down to a window, slapped repeatedly, and a video of the act was recorded and circulated. The complainant, mother of the child, came to know of the incident only after seeing the video on social media.

It has also been alleged that the principal was seen slapping students and pulling their ears in another video, and that she routinely forced children to clean toilets and classrooms as punishment.

The Bench of the HHRC, comprising Justice Lalit Batra, Chairperson, and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia also visited Panipat on September 29 after the matter came to the fore.

The commission observed that the incident was a violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, Section 17 of the Right to Education Act, 2009, and Article 21 of the Constitution.

The commission has directed the DC, SP, and District Education Officer to submit detailed reports before the next date of hearing on November 13. It also directed the SP to ensure protection of the complainant’s family.