A private residential academy in Ahmedabad has landed in controversy after a 12-year-old hostel student allegedly suffered injuries when a teacher beat him with a plastic stick for failing to spell an English word correctly during class.
Police have now registered a case against both the teacher and the principal of the academy following allegations that the child was physically assaulted inside the school premises.
According to officials at Isanpur Police Station, the complaint was filed by Kiranben Kamleshbhai Hadat, a 38-year-old beauty parlour worker residing in Ahmedabad’s Memnagar area.
Her son, a Class 8 student staying in the hostel of Isanpur Career Express Defence Academy, was allegedly assaulted on May 26 by a teacher identified as Harsh Chaudhary.
Assault Allegedly Triggered By Spelling Mistake
According to the FIR, the incident allegedly took place around 9 am during classroom teaching hours.
Police said the teacher reportedly asked the child to spell the word “disease.” When the student failed to answer correctly, the teacher allegedly became angry and struck him repeatedly with a plastic stick.
The complaint alleges that the child was hit five to six times on his chest and right hand.
What has shocked many is not merely the alleged violence itself, but the reason behind it — a spelling mistake inside a classroom.
The case has once again triggered concerns over corporal punishment and disciplinary practices still prevalent in some educational institutions despite repeated legal and policy prohibitions.
Child Found Outside Hostel Premises
The incident reportedly came to light after the boy’s mother received a phone call while she was away in Gandhidham for work.
According to police, an unidentified caller informed her that her son had been found at Kankaria Football Ground after allegedly being beaten by a hostel teacher.
Alarmed by the information, the woman contacted her relative, Jetharam Prajapati, and requested him to bring the child home safely.
During questioning by family members, the boy allegedly narrated the sequence of events and claimed he had left the hostel after the assault.
Police said the child was later taken to LG Hospital for medical treatment.
Injury Marks Allegedly Seen On Child’s Body
After returning to Ahmedabad from Gandhidham, the complainant allegedly noticed visible injury marks on her son’s chest and right hand.
Following this, she approached Isanpur Police Station and lodged a formal complaint against the teacher and school authorities.
The FIR names teacher Harsh Chaudhary as the primary accused and also mentions the academy principal in connection with the alleged incident.
Police have initiated further investigation into the case.
Questions Over Corporal Punishment In Schools
The incident has once again raised uncomfortable questions about the persistence of corporal punishment practices in schools and hostels despite strict regulations prohibiting physical abuse of students.
India’s child protection guidelines and education laws clearly bar teachers from using physical violence as punishment.
However, incidents involving:
- slapping,
- caning,
- public humiliation,
- forced physical punishment,
- and physical intimidation
continue surfacing from schools across the country.
Child rights activists have repeatedly warned that physical punishment can leave not only physical injuries but also long-term emotional trauma, fear and anxiety among children.
In residential schools and hostels, concerns become even more serious because students remain away from parental supervision for extended periods.
The Ahmedabad incident is likely to intensify scrutiny over student safety standards, disciplinary methods and monitoring mechanisms inside private residential academies operating in Gujarat.
Police said further investigation is underway.
Also Read: Himachal Pradesh Math Teacher Arrested For Sexually Harassing 24 studentshttps://www.vibesofindia.com/math-teacher-arrested-for-sexually-harassing-24-students/
