Karimnagar: Managements of high profile schools use money to settle the cases of corporal punishment if it comes to light. Even in the case of Ashritha, the management allegedly settled the matter by promising to give Rs 5 lakh to the parents of the girl in presence of some middlemen. It is learnt that a sum of Rs 1 lakh was already paid to Sammaiah and Rama, father and mother of the nine-year-old girl.
Kolipaka Ashritha, a Class V student of a private school, allegedly died of blood clotting as she was made to kneel down for over 45 minutes for not doing homework assigned by her mathematics teacher, in Huzurabad on July 23. “Most of the incidents are settled by managements of private schools by giving lakhs of rupees to the parents. So, we are unable to take action against them,” regretted a member of district Child Welfare Committee.
The district registers about 20 incidents of brutal punishment by private and government schools, in one year. But, most of them are not brought to notice of officials concerned and agencies that deal with child rights protection. The management suppress the incidents by assuring huge amounts to the parents, with the help of some middlemen including police officials. But later they dupe the parents by evading 50 per cent of the promised amount.
Owners of private schools panic when the news of corporal punishment given to their student is out in the open. The correspondents or chairman disappear from the campus and begin negotiations with local politicians or leaders of student organisations or some cops over ways and means of handling the issue. They come to an oral or written agreement with the middlemen to give anything between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, as compensation to the parents depending upon seriousness of the case.
The middlemen direct the parents to lodge a complaint without mentioning names and in a way that reduces the gravity of the case. Sometimes, drafting of complaints is done under guidance of police personnel. Police register simple cases as per contents of the complaint. Investigating officials mostly end up probing the incidents without filling charge-sheets against the accused.
