Student physically tortured at Leo XIII Higher Secondary School

ALAPPUZHA: A police officer couple has complained of a teacher at Leo XIII Higher Secondary School thrashing their Class IX son. The school is already under a cloud after eight Class IX students moving the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) against "physical torture" by its headmaster. As they noticed marks of burns on the kid's back, his parents, Priyalal and Ramla Beevi, both additional sub-inspectors, took him to the Government Hospital for a checkup.  The boy, who is also a basketball player, now refuses to go to school. He did not attend the class on Thursday. 

"I was taking rest at home on Saturday after Sabarimala duty for the last couple of weeks. When he came in front of me shirtless, I saw reddish marks on the midriff," Mr Priyalal said. "In the subsequent query, he revealed the assault by his English teacher for not keeping calm. I have asked the headmaster for a transfer certificate immediately as many children face torture there. NCC cadets were tied up to a tree and tortured recently, and most of the cases go unreported." The centurion school is one of the largest in the district with 3000 students.  "The only thing we want now is to get back his TC as quickly as possible," Ms Beevi said. 

"A group teachers from the school had come here for a reconciliation. This time we don't want any compromise, as this is happening for the second time." Headmaster A.A. Xavier Kutty admitted, when DC contacted, that it was a fault of the teacher.  "Immediately after the incident, we took the boy to office room, and I applied balm on burns. The teacher told it was inadvertent," said. 

"We tried to calm the parents when they came here to see me. It seems they are so serious about the matter. So I decided to issue the TC. I had requested them it would be better to relieve the student from the school after Christmas exams." On November 6, eight students accused the headmaster of putting a stick inside their trousers as they didn't insert the shirt. He squeezed their belly with and took them inside a room. When cried for water, he asked them to drink the urine of another. The CWC had sought a report from district child protection officer on this, which is to happen.