The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over the reported beating of a student by his classmates at the behest of his teacher referring to his faith in Muzaffarnagar district.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report, which said that the teacher of a private school referring to the faith of one of her students in an absurd manner ordered his classmates to beat him, the Commission issued notice to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh.
Noting that the contents of the media report, if true, amounted to a violation of the victim’s human rights, the Commission sought detailed report from both the state government and the UP Police within four weeks.
The rights body directed them to include in the report, action taken against the teacher, status of the FIR registered in the matter and compensation if any, paid to the aggrieved family, as well as steps taken/proposed to be taken to ensure that such shameful incidents did not recur in the future.
As per the media report published on August 28, 2023, the teacher, who also owned the school, was yet to be arrested. The school did not meet the criteria of the Education Department.
The boy’s family has already taken him out of the school and was looking for a new school for him.
The school was located in Khubbapur village of Muzaffarnagar district.
The boy’s family reportedly said that he was beaten up for a mistake in the multiplication of tables during the class.
A video of the incident went viral on August 25, 2023, leading to calls for action against the teacher and the school.