Principal arrested for thrashing students who failed to recite prayer, lacked Sanskrit proficiency
Itanagar, Dec 17: The principal of a school in Arunachal Pradesh's Pakke Kessang district was arrested for allegedly beating up students who failed to recite the prayer properly and lacked proficiency in Sanskrit, police said on Sunday.
The school was operated by the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, which terminated the services of the principal after the allegations surfaced, they said.
The principal was arrested from Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, Pakke Kessang's Superintendent of Police (SP) Tasi Darang said.
The incidents of physical abuse came to light after the parents of a class 1 student noticed bruises on his body. Following this, a complaint was lodged at the Seijosa police station on December 10, he said.
On the basis of the complaint, a case was registered under IPC section 342 (wrongful confinement) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) along with the Juvenile Justice Act's section 75 that deals with cruelty to children, he added.
At least 20 students who were in classes 1 to 4 were physically abused by the principal, a woman, the SP said.
The students were threatened with severe consequences if they reported the abuses to their parents, he said.
"Many students were physically abused for not chanting the school prayer properly, while some were beaten up for their apparent lack of proficiency in Sanskrit," the SP said.
Earlier, the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) said that the school had been operating since 2019 without registration.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
