Mumbai: 12 get 6 months in jail for attacking teacher in civic school; not an excusable event, says court

Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Monday sentenced 12 persons linked to Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, erstwhile student wing of undivided Shiv Sena, to six months rigorous imprisonment for assaulting and smearing ink on a municipal school teacher in 2010. The court emphasized that attacking educators while they are imparting education is a severe offence and taking a lenient view would "send the wrong message in the society".

Additional sessions Judge K M Jaisingani convicted the 12 for rioting, house-trespass, and assaulting public servants while they were discharging official duties. They were, however, acquitted of charges related to wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation. The incident occurred on August 20, 2010, at the Mulund Municipal Corporation Secondary School.

Mob assaults teacher

As per the prosecution, Vijay Pandhari Gawai, identifying himself as a divisional coordinator, led a mob into the in-charge headmaster's cabin and confronted teacher Prakash Bapu Salgar, accusing him of beating a ninth-grade student earlier that week. As per the prosecution, the mob verbally abused Salgar, struck him on his right hand with a stick, and smeared black colour from a bottle over his face and body.

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When the in-charge headmaster attempted to intervene, the attackers pushed him aside and vandalized the office, breaking a window and damaging furniture before fleeing. The court, in its order, noted that the accused had dared to throw/smear black coloured ink on the face of a school teacher "which is not an excusable event".

"Teachers shape the future of the students and committing such offence against them when they were parting education to the students is very serious offence," the court said. "Taking a lenient view would send the wrong message in society," it added. The court then handed a maximum sentence of six months alongside Rs 500 fines.