AHMEDABAD: A 13-year-old student of a residential school in Aravalli was allegedly slapped repeatedly and beaten with a plastic pipe by the principal and a trustee after they accused him of ‘viewing’ an internal exam’s paper.The child is still in hospital.“My son was confined to a room and tortured for nearly two and a half hours. He was not allowed to drink water,” the child’s father told TOI. “He is still in a private hospital, suffering from body pain and swelling in his ears.”The father added, “My financial condition is poor, and I cannot afford private care for long. I may have to shift him to a govt hospital.”He also alleged that police were not cooperating with the family and that none of the accused had been arrested.Modasa rural police registered an FIR after the Class VIII student’s father filed a complaint.According to the FIR, the boy’s father, a resident of Mahisagar district, received a call from the school trustee on July 18.The trustee told the man that his son would face disciplinary action for allegedly looking at the paper.The boy’s parents reached the school, and outside the trustee’s office, they saw their son, who ran to them and broke down.The FIR said that the boy then told his parents about the beatings from the principal and trustee.When the parents sought an explanation from the school officials, they allegedly received no satisfactory response.Instead, the officials told the parents to take their child away and allegedly threatened him with expulsion.The child later complained of dizziness, prompting his parents to call the emergency helpline.Paramedics took him to Modasa Civil Hospital, which informed police that the case was medico-legal in nature.The child was eventually admitted to a private hospital.Modasa rural police registered the FIR against the principal and trustee under BNS for voluntarily causing hurtPolice also invoked Juvenile Justice Act.
