A six-year-old Dalit child who was allegedly forced to clean the toilet by a few teachers was discovered locked in a classroom at a government primary school in the Jansath district in Uttar Pradesh, police said today, Wednesday, August 7.
The Basic Education Department has taken action against the school's principal and a teacher.
The incident occurred yesterday, August 6, when a six-year-old Class I student was discovered trapped in the school classroom, reportedly due to the negligence of Principal Sandhya Jain and class teacher Ravita Rani, according to authorities.
The child's mother filed a police complaint, alleging that the two teachers used to force her son to clean the toilet out of "hatred" for Dalit children, PTI reports.
She claimed that due to the teachers' negligence, her son was confined in the classroom for more than an hour after school concluded.
When her child did not return home after the school closed, she enquired about him with other students, who expressed ignorance, she said.
She claimed to have discovered it was closed and heard her child crying, which prompted family members and residents of the village to contact the headmaster.
Later, teacher Ravita Rani's husband arrived at the school with the keys and opened it. Rani's husband stated that the child may have fallen asleep in class.
According to Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Sandeep Kumar, the principal has been suspended, and teacher Rani has received an adverse entry.
A probe has been ordered into the matter, and a two-member team chaired by Jansath and Shahpur Block Shiksha Adhikaris will conduct an investigation and report back within three days.
Kumar stated that all staff members have been instructed to examine the classrooms before the school's closure.
Principal Jain said that the class teacher was responsible for this, and punishing her was "injustice".
"Even if the child was sleeping, the classroom should have been checked before locking it," she said.
The matter is being probed by the police.
