Image used for indicative purpose only. Source: Internet
Rohru (Shimla), Nov 4
In yet another distressing instance of corporal punishment from Himachal Pradesh, police have booked two teachers for allegedly torturing a first-grade student at Government Primary School Khadda Pani under Bhaluun Gram Panchayat in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district.
According to an FIR lodged at the Khadrala Police Post under Rohru Police Station, the complaint was filed by the victim’s father, Durga Singh, a resident of Bhaluun village. Singh alleged that his six-year-old son was brutally beaten and humiliated by Nitish Thakur, a volunteer teacher appointed by the School Management Committee (SMC), and Head Teacher Devendra.
The father’s complaint paints a chilling picture of cruelty inside the classroom. Nitish Thakur allegedly thrashed the child so severely that his ears started bleeding, and later inserted “bhichhubuti” (nettle herb)—a plant known for its stinging pain—into the boy’s pants, causing him to cry out in agony.
Shockingly, the teacher is said to have taken the child in a car on October 3 and threatened to kill and burn him if he revealed the abuse to anyone. In what appears to be an attempt to silence the family, the accused reportedly tried to offer ₹10,500 as an “apology,” stuffing the money into the child’s pocket.
The harassment did not stop there. On the night of October 29, Head Teacher Devendra and Babu Ram, a teacher from Kachi School, allegedly visited the complainant’s home to pressure the family into suppressing the matter.
Confirming the developments, DSP Rohru Pranav Chauhan said that a case has been registered under sections of assault, criminal intimidation, and child cruelty as per the Juvenile Justice Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “Investigations are underway, and the matter is being taken seriously,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Education Department has ordered a separate inquiry into the case. Officials said this incident reflects a deeply worrying trend — corporal punishment in schools is no longer an exception but seems to be turning into a disturbingly frequent phenomenon across the state.
Over the past year, several similar cases have surfaced from different districts of Himachal Pradesh, pointing to systemic failure in enforcing child protection norms within educational institutions. Despite government advisories and awareness campaigns, ground-level compliance remains weak.
For parents in the hill state, sending children to school increasingly feels less like a promise of learning and more like a risk. As authorities investigate yet another case of brutality in a classroom, the larger question remains — how many such incidents will it take before “discipline” ceases to be a pretext for abuse?
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