Raipur News: Is Saying Radhe Radhe a Crime ? Chhattisgarh School Principal Tapes Mouth of 3 Year Old, Beats Brutally

A horrific and appalling incident in Chhattisgarh's Durg district has caused widespread outrage and sparked a raging debate on child safety and religious tolerance in schools. A private English-medium school principal was arrested after allegedly brutally beating up a three-and-a-half-year-old student of the nursery class. The barbaric act, which occurred on Wednesday, July 30, was done in retaliation for the child greeting the principal with the Hindu greeting, "Radhe Radhe."

The Alarming Incident

The alarming chain of events was reported by the child's father in a complaint registered against the principal of the  Teresa MotherEnglish Medium School in Bagdumar village.

The nursery student girl welcomed her principal, named Ila Evan Colvin, with the usual greeting.

This humble gesture is claimed to have elicited an outburst of angry violence from the school principal. She is said to have screamed at the child, hit her, taped her mouth closed for about 15 minutes, and kept punching her palms with a stick. The traumatized child came home shaken and with visible signs of injury, so her father went straight to the police.

Rapid Response and Popular Uproar

The authorities moved fast, arresting the principal on July 31, Thursday. She has been charged with serious offenses, including sections 115(2) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. These offenses include causing hurt, outraging religious sentiments, and causing both physical and mental cruelty to a child.

The case has struck a chord far and wide beyond the village itself, prompting vehement responses from different groups. Activists of Bajrang Dal and villagers rallied outside the police station, protesting against the incident, demanding strict action not just against the principal but also against the school administration. They have blamed the school for advocating religious discrimination in the name of discipline.

The outcry of the public will serve to underscore a developing call for accountability of private schools and a zero-tolerance approach to corporal punishment. The Department of Education has also indicated that it will launch an independent investigation, which may lead to additional administrative action against the school. The case is a grim reminder of the necessity to be more vigilant in safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society from abuse, especially where they are supposed to be safe.