Six-year-old dies after kindergarten thrashing

School owner, two teachers on the run after child beaten up over unpaid fees

Asix-year-old kindergarten student at a private school in Bihar was allegedly flogged to death after his parents failed to pay the tuition fees on time.

Police have registered a case against the owner of the boarding school, Babloo Rai, and two teachers. All the accused are absconding.

The victim, Suraj Kumar, was enrolled at Delhi Public School (not part of the reputed countrywide school chain) at Gorhawa village in East Champaran district.

He was studying along with his elder brother Deepak Kumar who was enrolled in Grade One.

According to the complaint registered with the police, Suraj, the son of a migrant labourer who works outside Bihar, had gone to his boarding school on Wednesday when the teachers asked about the payment of fees.

When the child replied in the negative, he was flogged by his schoolteacher, inflicting grievous injuries on him.

According to relatives, the boy was not taken to hospital even though he was writhing in pain. They alleged he was denied medical treatment for over 12 hours.

Reports said the incident came to light after the hostel warden tried to wake the child up for lunch on Thursday afternoon. When he didn’t wake up, the worker suspected something amiss and informed the school owner about the incident.

School officials claimed the boy was rushed to a local private hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Subsequently, the school administration informed the family members about the incident but, by the time the relatives arrived, all the teachers and school staff had allegedly fled the scene.

The boy’s relatives alleged he was denied medical treatment for more than 12 hours.

Extreme torture

“When we arrived to receive his body, there was no one to inform us about the incident. Everyone had fled the scene,” the victim’s grandmother Chnadrakali Devi told the media yesterday.

According to doctors, the boy died owing to extreme torture.

“The boy had multiple injuries on his body,” the deputy superintendent of a local hospital, Dr Manoj Kumar, was quoted as telling local media.

Police said a manhunt had been launched for the missing suspects.

“The case has been registered on Friday and raids are on to nab the absconding accused persons,” the local deputy superintendent of police Pankaj Rawat told the media yesterday.