Two School Staff Arrested in Jeedimetla for Alleged Assault on 4-Year-Old Girl
According to a police official, "We have registered a case against the ayah and the school management and are investigating the matter. The victim girl's condition is stable, and she is undergoing treatment in a private hospital, while the accused ayah is in our custody." Further details awaited
Hyderabad: The Jeedimetla police on Monday arrested a school caretaker and the correspondent for assaulting a four-year-old girl inside the school premises. The girl is a daughter of one of the caretakers, who moved to the city recently from Odisha, and has been working in the school for some time.
According to the police, the accused, Laxmi, 59, a colleague of the victim’s mother, has been working at the school for nearly six years. She asked by the school management to take care of the girl who had soiled herself, as the girl’s mother was in a school van with schoolchildren.
Police alleged that Laxmi had developed insecurity after the victim’s mother joined the school, and directed her frustration towards the child. A video of the assault, taken by a person from the school’s neighbourhood, showed the beating was brutal and had gone viral on social media. The child was belaboured for at least three minutes, punched, pushed to the ground and her head slammed to the ground several times.
The child is under medical observation and doctors stated that she was stable but they are awaiting a second CT scan to identify any internal damage.
The accused were booked under Section 75, 85 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 118 (4) and 118 of the BNS were charged for assault, and cruelty towards the child.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, director of school education Naveen Nicolas said that the district education officer (DEO) has issued a showcause notice to the management.
Even though the victim is not a student of the school, a police official said the school will be held responsible as the incident occurred inside the school building. “The act still amounts to cruelty under the JJ Act. Any child present on campus is entitled to safety,” the official said.
Teacher School Management Association member Madhusudhan said the school management should be held accountable since the offence happened within the campus. “Correspondent Janaki Ram, who was apprehended for negligence, failed to ensure child safety norms. The schools must function strictly under NCPCR and POCSO guidelines. These rules will ensure emotional, mental and physical safety for every child present on school premises,” he said.
Child welfare committee (CWC) chairman Raja Reddy said the case highlights serious gaps in the school’s hiring practices and supervision.
“Despite rules framed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), many private schools appoint caretakers and attendants on very low salaries. The schools don’t follow the NCPCR’s norms on background verification, training, behavioural supervision, and child-protection protocols for the sake of low-cost labour,” he said.
