Warden fractures boy’s hand before exams
■ Warden threatened student to stay mum, lied to parents about injury
A Class IX residential student at Shantiniketan Vidyalaya in Shamirpet fractured his hand after a hostel warden hit him with a stick on Tuesday.
The student alleged that the warden threatened him against informing his parents, telling him to give some other reason for the fracture. A police case was registered at Shamirpet police station on Monday after his parents lodged a complaint.
“I had switched on the lights around 9.30 pm to look for my lost key when suddenly the warden arrived with a stick and began shouting at me,” Vivekananda said.
“He did not believe me when I said that I was searching for my keys and hit me with the stick on my left hand. When I said I would inform my parents, he hit me even harder. My hand began swelling and the next day I was sent to hospital with the help of a medical assistant from school.”
Vivekananda’s parents were told that he got hurt while playing. “When I asked him, he told me the hostel warden had hit him,” Mr K. Sathish Kumar said.
“My son was to appear for exams now, but he is unable to do so with a fractured hand. This is not the first time that students are being brutally beaten up here. Earlier, we were told that a teacher had punched a student on his tooth clips. Schools must take strict measures to avoid such incidents. These schools are interested only in collecting fees and not in students’ welfare,” he said.
When contacted, sources in the school management said they were in talks with board members and parents and would take necessary action if needed.
Shamirpet police station house officer B. Naveen Reddy said they received a complaint on Monday from the boy’s father and are investigating the matter. No action has been taken against the warden yet.
Child rights experts called for stronger action against corporal punishments as these continue to be reported despite a ban.