Thane school teachers face legal action for hitting students with ruler, making them stand on benches

THANE: Local police have registered a case against two women teachers of a private school in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly hitting students with a steel ruler and making them stand on benches as punishment during the class, an official said on Sunday.

On July 5, around 10 students of Class 5 of the school in Ulhasnagar did not get declaration forms about fees and a membership document for the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) signed by their parents. One of the accused teachers then allegedly hit the 10 students on their hands with a steel ruler, causing injuries to them, the official from Hill Line police station said.

An auto-rickshaw driver, who is the father of one of the victims, said his son told him that the teacher allegedly beat him up and other children as they had not got the forms signed by their parents, the official said. The students were also allegedly asked to stand on benches till the completion of the class, he said. The other accused teacher also allegedly punished a 12-year-old student by asking him to stand with his hands raised for the entire lecture period.

The reason for the punishment was not specified in the FIR. Based on complaints by parents, the police on Friday registered a case against the two teachers under section 75 (any person having control of child, assaults, abandons, abuses or willfully neglects the child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, the official said. No arrest has been made so far, he said, adding a probe was on into the case.