Four teachers in police custody

DHANGADHI, July 11: Four teachers have been taken under custody after Madhav Kalauni, a ninth grader at Mahakali Bal Vidyalaya of Majhgaun, Bhimdutta Municipality in Kanchanpur, died allegedly due to severe beatings by the teachers. 

As per reports, Kalauni, 15, was beaten up by teachers at the school office on June 28. The beatings left him badly injured and he was taken to Ram Murti Hospital in India. He breathed his last Tuesday night, 12 days after the incident. 

“He died while undergoing treatment,” said the boy’s father, Brihaspati Kalauni. 

Kalauni was first taken to Mahakali Zonal Hospital which referred him to a hospital with better facilities. The family then took him to Ram Murti Hospital. 

Following his death, four teachers including the headmaster are in police custody. According to the district police office, headmaster Yashoda Joshi and teachers Durgadutta Pathak, Laxman Bhatta and Harka Jagri have been taken under custody for interrogations. 

The boy’s family has reported that he was taken to the school office following a dispute with his friends outside school premises. In the course of handling the matter, they beat up the boy with stick, shoes and fists, the victim told police. 

His father had filed a complaint against the teachers before heading for the hospital in India. 

“He had received serious injuries to the chest and head and sustained a fracture in the right leg,” the father said. 

A day before the beating, the deceased and another student had a fracas over some issue. The teachers had beaten them both and even rusticated them before turning them over to their families. The other student had received light injuries. 

The boy’s body is still at the Indian hospital. According to DSP Dinesh Acharya, a post mortem will be done after the body is brought to Nepal. 

Meanwhile, students at the school report that corporal punishment is normal in school. Before this also, school children received injuries from beatings by teachers, they said. 

“Two years ago, they had beaten me also. That had become a huge issue also. The school management had then agreed not to repeat such treatment, but they have not changed their ways,” said RN Joshi, a student at the school. 

According to DSP Acharya, investigations are ongoing.

 
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