A disturbing video has gone viral on social media and caused widespread outrage across India showing a teacher hitting and slapping a small child.
Shocking Classroom Assault Captured on Video
Within only a few hours, this video has been viewed over millions of times. The viral video depicts a clearly frightened small child being hit multiple times by this adult in an educational setting. There have been numerous parents, teachers and members of society who have expressed outrage over this video and have demanded immediate disciplinary action by all involved parties.
Reports have indicated that this incident took place during a typical school day, and that it escalated to violence when the child was hit by the teacher in violation of the prohibition against corporal punishment in any school in India.
Nationwide Backlash and Calls for Justice
Social media exploded with condemnation as the hashtag #TeacherSlapsStudent and numerous variants of that hashtag were trending across the entire country. “This brutal assault disguised as a form of discipline must stop,” one commenter stated in a viral tweet, tagging various state education departments.
Activists are presenting other recent cases of physical assault involving teachers in states including Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, citing a pattern of unbridled violence against students and children. Additionally, parents’ groups throughout India are calling for police investigations under the various sections of the laws created by POCSO and under the Juvenile Justice Act to protect the rights of the students.
Rising School Violence Alarms Experts
The National Crime Records Bureau has recorded more than 100,000 incidents of violence in schools each year, many of which involve teachers and students. Child psychologists have stated that teacher burnout and a lack of proper training are causes of many of these conflicts, and have suggested that more counseling should be made available, as well as surveillance systems in schools.
So far, there has been no comment from the Minister of Education, but civil society wants stronger controls to create safe learning environments.
Note: This Article has been done on the information provided in this viral video/ post. DNP India doesn’t endorse, subscribe or verify the claims
