Mumbai police book teacher for thrashing minor differently-abled boy

The Mumbai police have booked a 24-year-old teacher for allegedly thrashing an eight-year-old differently-abled boy in school.

The incident which took place on July 30 in suburban Matunga came to light on August 2 when a video clip, showing the teacher thrashing the minor boy with a cane, was circulated among all the parents.

The teacher, who has been identified as Rima Kalgutkar, employed with Little Angels School for differently-abled.

"A person had recorded the entire episode of the teacher assaulting the student which he then forwarded to the child's parents. The parents of the boy got to see the clip on August 2, when they came to the school for a parents-teachers
association meet," Inspector Shashikanth Londhe of Matunga police station told PTI.

Following the incident, the teacher has been suspended from the school, he said.

"Since the teacher has committed a crime by assaulting a student, her arrest is imminent. Once our preliminary investigation is over we will be arresting her," Londhe said.

Parents allege that the director of the school did not even apologise to them following their complaint, which led
them to approach the police. However, their claim was refuted by the director.

According to the parents, they first approached Matunga police to file a complaint against the teacher on August 5, who in turn asked them to approach the Child Rights Commission.

Based on the report of the Commission, the police lodged an FIR against the accused.

The teacher has been booked under IPC Section 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and the Juvenile
Justice Act.