Hit by vice-principal, class 12 student suffers serious eye injury
ALLAHABAD: A class 12 student of the prestigious St Joseph’s College, Allahabad, suffered a serious eye injury after the school vice-principal allegedly hit him with a cane for standing in the morning prayer assembly with his school bag.
Quoting a specialist, the boy’s mother claimed he is facing possible vision impairment. Inspector, Civil Lines, Manoj Tiwari confirmed lodging of an FIR against vice-principal Father Leslie Benedict Cutinha in connection with the incident that took place on May 9. The FIR was lodged on Friday. DM Sanjay Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident.
“The FIR has been registered on the basis of the medical report and the complaint submitted by the victim’s mother. Investigation is now underway,” he said.
The student, Shervyn Terrence Jude LaRiviere, resident of Thornhill Road in Civil Lines here, fell on the ground bleeding from his eye following the incident. He had to be rushed first to the Nazareth Hospital in Allahabad and then taken to Prakash Netra Kendra in Lucknow for treatment.The incident took place when Shervyn and three of his friends were queuing up for the morning assembly and had the school bags still hanging from their shoulders.
This reportedly upset the school vice-principal, who first pulled them up for failing to put the bags on the ground as per the practice, and then allegedly hit them with a cane.
Shervyn’s mother Sheronne LaRiviere, a teacher at Bishop Johnson School and College of Allahabad, claimed the boy fell on the ground bleeding from his right eye while the vice-principal returned to his office. Two of Shervyn’s teachers noticed his injury and raised an alarm.
Seeing the seriousness of the injury, the doctors at Nazareth Hospital referred Shervyn to Prakash Netra Kendra in Lucknow.
“We rushed Shervyn to Lucknow in an ambulance. The treating doctor at Prakash Netra Kendra himself expressed shock at the extent of the injury that included damage to the retina. It was after Shervyn’s condition stabilised that I returned to the city and registered an FIR against the school’s vice-principal Rev Father Leslie Benedict Cutinha at the Civil Lines police station of Allahabad on Friday evening,” said Sheronne, whose husband Sydney LaRiviere is in London where he runs a business.
Shervyn’s aunt Priscilla McGowan, who rushed to Allahabad from Muscat after coming to know of the incident, said that the school principal Rev Father Rolfie D’Souza did come to visit Shervyn in hospital in Lucknow two days after the incident after being told by them but had failed to talk or meet with them since.
“On Friday, we visited the school to meet the principal and the vice-principal but they were not present. We, however, did meet Rev Fr Isidore D’Souza and conveyed our shock over the incident. Now, we have to again take Shervyn to Lucknow on Wednesday for his Thursday morning appointment with the doctor for follow-up treatment,” she added.
St Joseph’s College principal Father Rolfie D’Souza did not respond to calls on his mobile phone. However, Father Isidore D’Souza, speaking on behalf of the school management, said that the school was extending all help and support after “the unfortunate incident”.
“Right after the injury, the student was rushed to the Nazareth Hospital and then taken to Lucknow by the school. We also deputed a representative, who remained present all along the treatment phase right up the child’s discharge from hospital. We bore all expenses for his transport, hospital admission and treatment, besides lodging of the family in Lucknow. We have promised to also bear all expenses of his treatment in the coming days as well,” he said.
Father Isidore D’Souza said that the school was conducting an inquiry in to the entire incident.
All forms of corporal punishment in school is banned and can invite jail term or fine or both, even for a first offence.