CANACONA
A teacher at the Shree Balram Residential High School at Amone-Poinguinim has been booked by Canacona police on charges of assaulting a student of Std 6 in the school for allegedly failing to participate at the cleanliness drive to mark Gandhi Jayanti on Monday.
The Shree Balram Residential High School is one of different schools run by Balram Education Society which is headed by Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar. His wife, Savita Tawadkar, who is headmistress of the school as well as sarpanch of Poinguinim, is currently out of station as she is presently accompanying her husband who is attending the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Ghana and will return to the State only on October 17.
According to different sources, the teacher is alleged to have assaulted the 13-year-old boy with a mop at about 1.30 pm, after learning that the boy had not participated in the cleanliness drive and had hidden himself, only to come out after the cleanliness drive had ended.
Incidentally, the cleanliness drive was organised in the school to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who espoused the philosophy of non-violence, and the United Nations even celebrates the day as International Day of Non-Violence.
The boy, who resides in the hostel of the residential school, was reportedly assaulted on his hands, legs and head. By evening, he complained of uneasiness and expressed his desire to return to his home.
When school authorities took the boy to his home in Gaondongrim, the boy reportedly conveyed to his parents that he had been in pain all over his body. Following persistent queries from his parents, the boy reportedly stated that a teacher had beaten him with a mop in the school.
The parents then took their son to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Chaudi, where the young boy was treated. When a doctor advised the parents to take their son home, the boy continued to complain of pain and the parents instead shifted him to the South Goa District hospital at Margao on Monday night for further treatment.
The boy reportedly had some bruises on his legs, hands and also complained of pain on his head. Social worker Pratima Coutinho visited the boy in the presence of his mother, and he reportedly narrated the incident to Coutinho.
Meanwhile, Canacona Police have registered an FIR against the teacher of Shree Balram Residential high School, Amone-Poinguinim under Section 324 of IPC and relevant sections have also been applied under Goa Children's Act.
Stating the boy has sustained simple injuries, Canacona PI Chandrakant Gawas informed that the FIR was registered against the school teacher on Tuesday following a complaint from the boy’s parents and added that police are investigating the case.
A police team had gone to the residence of the teacher on Tuesday as part of their investigation but did not find him at home.
