The cautious whispers about teachers who cane children and make their life a complete misery within the classroom keep coming through news channels and news papers. Parents, if your children are going to school and tell you that they are being caned, it is important to listen before jumping to conclusions about whether the kids are lying or the teacher is acting in best interest. Incidents of corporal punishments and human rights violations are common in Indian schools. Some parents accept it because they believe teachers will not punish their children without reason. What we need to understand is that several innocent students are caned and harassed by their teachers, for trivial issues. Public humiliation caused by such punishments, is an extreme set back for a child. Besides creating fright, this affects a child’s mind and causes various behavioral and psychological problems.

Human Rights Violations: Rouvanjit Rawla & Many Other Child Victims
Human rights violations take various forms and extreme corporal punishment is definitely one such form. The suicide of Rouvanjit Rawla, a young school student of La Martiniere school for Boys in Kolkata,


Rouvanjit Rawla's untimely death has spurred a debate in India
hanged himself in his room earlier this year after being caned for bringing stink bombs to school. His father filed a police complaint against the teachers to seek justice. The school’s official response shocked the nation. They tried to find fault with the parents for filing the case late. They questioned the integrity of the parents in raising the issue a month after the boy’s death. They made shocking statements about the deceased boy’s conduct as though to state that he deserved nothing better.

Another incident in June 2010 pertained to eight students of VII standard of a school in Assam, who were canned by their principal, who was drunk. The students were left severely injured and later, the principal was suspended.

In July 2010, 11-year old Sahil Sachdeva of Mother Teresa School, Preet Vihar, New Delhi attempted suicide after he was allegedly beaten up by a teacher for coming late. Sahil, jumped off from the second floor in the school premises. Both his legs are fractured.

A shocking incident took place in June 2009, when a teacher from a Delhi School threw duster at a class VII student, Nitin Rai. The duster broke his glasses and the shards pierced his eyes.

Human Rights Violations: The Law is On Your Side, Don’t Hesitate to Protect Your Child


The fact is that schools in India do not hesitate to wash their hands off such incidents and blame parents in their desperate attempt to clear the school’s reputation. However, psychologists argue that even the most difficult children can be dealt with by other means such as persuasion, friendly attitude, counseling and proper communication.

Parents and teachers should be aware that as per Supreme Court’s ruling, any form of corporal punishment is illegal in India. Further, corporal punishments are also banned under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, Act. The first step for parents is to report the incident to the Principal and if action is not taken, this can be reported to a parent community that is active in the school. If this is not effective or feasible, an FIR can be filed against the teacher with the help of a lawyer, if your child has been badly hurt. You can produce a doctor’s medical certificate that gives details on the injuries suffered by the child as well. The most important thing is not to be silent. Protecting your child is the first responsible course of action for you to do. By keeping silent or thinking that the teacher may be right to cane your child, you will place your child in more danger. A child’s self-esteem and dignity is ripped apart and he/she is likely to suffer lasting psychological problems too. Most importantly, as a parent, remember, the law is on your side and you have no reason to fear.

Final Legal Take Away Tip: Due to lack of proper enforcement of such laws and complacence of parents, these caning practices are often tolerated and not even questioned in many Indian schools. The recent incident of the death of Rouvanjit Rawla has prompted the Kolkata Government to form new rules to stop corporal punishment and tackle human rights violations in schools with more efficiency. However, it is essential for parents, teachers and schools to support all State Governments to ensure that corporal punishment is not followed in schools and that all parties understand that if practiced, it amounts to human rights violations.