A teacher at RCM Upper Primary School in Soroda NAC, Ganjam in Odisha has been suspended for allegedly mercilessly beating around 70 girl students of Class VII who failed their recent half-yearly examinations. The accused teacher was identified as Palvert Baliarsingh. The missionary school is government aided and has a boarding facility.
Reportedly the teacher thrashed the students, most of whom were tribals, with a baton inside a room at the school hostel on March 6. The missionary school, which has boarding facilities, is government-aided. Reports suggest that at least seven girls fell ill due to the beating, but instead of taking them to the hospital and providing them with medical care, the school management allegedly treated them in the hostel. The incident occurred after Baliarsingh became furious with the students' poor performance in the examinations, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Although the school authorities tried to cover up the incident, a video clip of the incident went viral on social media, resulting in action being taken against Baliarsingh. Pabitra Mohan Mantri, the in-charge headmaster of the school, admitted that the incident took place in the hostel and informed the concerned authorities. Despite several attempts, officials from the district education department could not be reached for comment. According to sources, the parents of the victims have not yet filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident, as reported by The New Indian Express.