Kamakhyanagar: A Class VI student of Kankadahada Upper Primary School under Kankadahada block headquarters in Dhenkanal district was injured and collapsed after a lady teacher allegedly punched him on the chest during the morning prayers inside the school, Wednesday. The injured student was identified as Ganapati Mohanta, 12, son of Bharati and Dilip Mohanta of Gopapur village under Kankadahada block. The student reportedly collapsed on the floor after the ‘brutal’ punch. After the incident, the school authorities called the kid’s parents and asked them to take their son back home. Ganapati was admitted to the Kamakhyanagar sub-divisional hospital for treatment.
Later in the evening, he was discharged, but the doctors have asked family members to keep an observation on the traumatised kid. The incident has spread shockwaves in the locality, more so because the Odisha government has banned corporal punishment in schools and declared those as punishment-free zone.
However, these types of incident continue to happen often in various parts of the state. In May, a student of an ITI college in Bhubaneswar had died by suicide after being allegedly thrashed by a teacher. While talking to mediapersons here, the boy’s mother Bharati said that she had dropped her son at school in the morning. She was surprised when she got a call from the school asking her to take her son back home as the latter was sick, she added. “The news was quite surprising to me,” she said. Bharati and the boy’s grandfather rushed to the school. They found Ganapati writhing in pain and gasping for breath. He was also unable to speak. Initially Ganapati was taken to the Kankadahada hospital but was then shifted to Kamakhyanagar sub-divisional hospital. Bharati also alleged that not a single teacher had come to the aid of Ganapati. “When I arrived at the school to pick up my son, I found him crying, but no one came to our help,” Bharati said. Ganapati later told his family members after his recovery that the lady teacher had punched him while examining his nails. Kankadahada block education officer (BEO) Sagar Tudu informed that such acts by teachers will not be tolerated. “We are currently conducting an inquiry into the allegation as such incidents in educational institutions will not be tolerated. The matter is being probed and strict action will be taken against the teacher if the charge is true,” Tudu asserted.
