Devbrat Patnaik

Paradip: A headmistress of a government-run school in Paradip was on Sunday arrested and sent to jail on charges of meting out corporal punishment to a nine-year-old girl student.

Lina Nanda, headmistress of government-run Balitutha Upper Primary School under Kujang police limits, was arrested yesterday and booked under IPC section 307 after the girl's father lodged an FIR with the police.

As per law, no student shall be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment and whosoever contravenes this provision shall be liable for disciplinary action.

Reportedly, the second standard student was allegedly caned by the accused headmistress which resulted in abrasions and swelling in her back and left eye. A medical examination of the child was also conducted and doctors described that she had blunt abrasions on the back. One of her eyes has also swollen.

While the headmistress was unavailable to comment on this matter, police said she confessed about thrashing the girl for failing to give answer to a question.

Kujang Police station IIC, Dilip Sahu said, “Based on the complaint lodged by the girl’s father, we verified the incident and found there were injury marks on her body. Following medical examination of the minor girl, the headmistress Lina Nanda was arrested and court forwarded. As her bail plea was rejected she was sent to jail.”

With so many incidents of corporal punishments coming to the fore, the major question now is how concerned the government is in making all schools ‘punishment-free zones’.

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