Hearing-impaired 10-year-old caned, students made to clean toilets in Tamil Nadu school

A 10-year-old speech and hearing impaired student suffered bruises all over his body after he was allegedly subjected to corporal punishment at his school for being "naughty". The school was The incident happened at the panchayat union primary school at Athanur near Kunnam in Perambalur on Tuesday. Fearing a backlash, the District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) transferred the teacher accused of the assault on Wednesday.

According to sources, the student of class Five student was playing in the school on Tuesday afternoon along with other children, and reportedly was more naughty than the rest. The issue was brought to the notice of the accused teacher, Senthil Kumar, who allegedly severely caned the boy. Other teachers reportedly tried to hush up the issue and iced the boy's bruises.  

His parents, however, noticed the bruises when they removed his clothes and immediately raised the issue with higher officials of the Education Department. DEEO Rose Nirmala conducted an inquiry with the parents and with the teacher. Following that,  Rose Nirmala transferred Senthilkumar to a school in nearby Anaipad village on disciplinary grounds.

Meanwhile, shocking reports surfaced that students of the same school were made to clean the toilets. Video clips were also allegedly doing the rounds on social media. Rose Nirmala has denied the charges and said it could be another school. “The incident might not have happened in that school because all the panchayat union primary schools have sanitary workers, appointed by the village panchayats, to clean the toilets. However, I will look into the issue.”