Teacher suspended for ‘causing’ ear injuries to student in Chamba

The Education Department has suspended a Junior Basic Training (JBT) teacher posted at a government school in Mehla development block for allegedly beating a student.

The suspended teacher, Ashwani Kumar, has been directed to report to the office of the Block Elementary Education Officer, Kalhel, at Nakrod.

The Chamba Deputy Director of Elementary Education, Balbir Singh, said the department took note of the incident in which the teacher allegedly assaulted a student, causing ear injuries. The injured child was admitted to the Chamba Medical College.

In a video circulated on social media, the victim’s parents claimed the teacher had mercilessly beaten their son, damaging both his ears and necessitating surgery.

However, the accused teacher denied the allegations, claiming the student’s grandmother and mother, both employed as cook-cum-helpers in the same school, were behind the complaint. He said that he had recently issued show-cause notices to them for willful absence from duty over an extended period.

Meanwhile, the Education Department has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the case.