‘Class I students chained,forced to clean toilets’

Parents of the student had registered an FIR against the teacher,alleging that their son and two of his classmates were punished after they were found fighting in the classroom on Wednesday.

In their complaint,the boy’s parents have said that the teacher Cindrella Pereira further humiliated the three boys by making them strip to their undergarments.

“My son kept crying all the time after he came home from the school on Wednesday. When we inquired he narrated the incident. We immediately went to the school and informed the principal and other management authorities. However,they dismissed us by saying none of the things we said happened. The parents of other kids too refused to help us as they feared backlash from the school. We had no option but to approach the police,” Gandhi said.

The education department of the BMC too has decided to initiate an investigation in the matter on Monday. “Teachers cannot punish the students in this manner. We just got to know about the issue on Saturday. It is a shameful incident. We will speak to the three students and their classmates first thing on Monday and then decided our next course of action.”

Leela D’Souza,trustee secretary of the school said,“We don’t know what actually happened on Wednesday,but if it is true we will take action. Though the police is investigating the matter,we will conduct an inquiry at the school level too. We too are concerned about our students.”

When approached Dhananjay Kulkarni,deputy commissioner of police (zone 5) said,“We cannot arrest the teacher without evidence. We are now contacting other children from the same class and recording statements of the eyewitnesses in the case.”