Kalyan: Principal beats girl with wooden ruler for not tying hair as per rules

Varsha Mhatre's thumb was bleeding after the thrashing from the principal

No child wants to have a bad hair day at school, especially not when the principal is going to thrash them for it. The parents of a 14-year-old have lodged a police complaint against the principal of Captain Ravindra Madhav Oak High school of Kalyan for allegedly beating up their daughter and four other students with a wooden ruler. Their crime? They did not comb and tie their hair as per the rules.

The school rules state that all girls must wear their hair in pigtails; either two braids or a single plait for girls with longer hair. According the police, on Tuesday, Principal Medha Kulkarni took a routine round of every class. On reaching Std VIII, division B, she announced that all children who were not wearing school shoes or had not tied their hair according to school rules, will have to stand outside the class. Accordingly, five students went out. To their shock, she suddenly started beating all of them with a wooden ruler.

The principal allegedly resorts to corporal punishment regularly for the smallest of errors

Thumbs down
The complainant's daughter, Varsha Mhatre, 14, got injured and her thumb started bleeding. She had tied her hair in a ponytail, not in pigtails.

Her father, Bhushan Mhatre, told mid-day, "My daughter got so scared by the beating that she did not even tell us about her bleeding thumb. In the evening, when I reached home, I saw she was crying. Only after I insisted upon it did she narrate the incident to me. School teachers definitely have right to scold children and punish them for mistakes, but this is not the way to do it."

The furious father added, "I met four other children who were also beaten up by principal, and they too had injuries. I immediately went to the police station and filed a complaint about it. When I confronted the principal, she was reluctant to talk about the incident. Students from the school told me that the principal always punishes them in that manner when they do not wear the right shoes or if they are caught chatting with their friends when the teacher leaves the class."

Mhatre further alleged that the school authorities were forcing him to withdraw the case. This reporter went to the school to meet the principal, but was turned away by a peon and teacher, who claimed the principal was busy with SSC exams. After calling on the school's landline, admin officials said she was not available.

Investigating officer PSI Pravin Ahire said, "We have registered a case under Sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, against Principal Medha Kulkarni. We will call her for questioning soon, and will take statements from other children as well."

Also Read: Mumbai: Teacher Beats Up Student For Asking If He Can Drink Water

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