Boy suffers fracture, teacher blamed

9-year-old and parents say he fell down stairs after being beaten; Corpn officials deny charge

CHENNAI: A 9-year-old boy studying in a corporation school in the city has suffered fractures in his hand allegedly as the child lost balance and rolled down the staircase after being hit by his teacher. The family said it is being threatened by the Vyasarpadi police, whom they approached after teachers at the Chennai Primary school at Ganesapuram, Vyasarpadi, forced the child S Tamizhselvan and his two siblings also to leave the school.

The Corporation officials and the Vyasarpadi police, when contacted by Express, denied the allegations. Corporation officials said the boy fell down after a fight between the students.
The child Tamizhselvan told Express, “I was sleeping in the class, not aware that the school bell rang. A teacher came to my class and started beating me, scolding me for being in the class. As I neared the class entrance, she hit me on the back and I lost balance and rolled down the staircase. My hand started paining so badly and I started crying.” His left hand has been bandaged.

The parents of the child question why the teachers did not even take the child to the hospital, even if its true that the child fell after a fight with other children and why they are now forcing three of her children to leave the school. “They just phoned me, saying he fell down after a fight with a student,” said Aadhilakshmi, Tamizhselvan’s mother. The child had suffered three fractures on the left hand.

Aadhilakshmi says only in the hospital, Tamizhselvan told her that he lost balance and fell after being hit by the teacher. According to her, when she confronted the teachers on Friday, the teachers, in turn, scolded her for bad upbringing. “They told me I should give a leave letter since Tamizhselvan will be on leave until his hands are healed. They made me sign in a plain paper. But later in the evening,  they handed me transfer certificates of both Tamizhselvan and his younger brother Sathish (8). Also, they verbally told me not to bring their younger sister Sanjana (5) to the school,” said Aadhilakshmi.

Aadhilakshmi says she then approached the Vyasarpadi police for help. She claims that though police inspector Mohan Raj promised to take action, on Saturday he threatened her to withdraw the complaint and asked her to accept the money offered by the teacher. “The inspector started threatening me and said he will foist cases against me and my husband,” she said.

When Express contacted Mohan Raj on Sunday, he said he did not compel them, family, to accept any money. “They wanted to lodge a complaint, but withdrew it after they spoke to the teachers,” he told Express. Corporation officials, on the other hand, said the transfer certificate was issued only because the parents asked for it. “The boy suffered injury only after a fight between the children,” said the official.
(INPUTS: Nirupama Viswanathan)

18-sov chain missing from Jafferkhanpet house
 A gold chain of around 18 sovereigns was allegedly stolen from a house in Jafferkhanpet on Saturday night.  According to police, Veeramanikandan (30), who owns a hardware shop, is a resident of Jafferkhanpet. On Saturday night, his wife Arasi (28) removed her 18-sovereign chain and kept it near a window at home. A few hours later, she found the chain missing.  A complaint was lodged with the MGR Nagar police. Investigations are on.

13 held in combing operation in Minjur
The Tiruvallur district police on Saturday apprehended 94 men with the criminal history and arrested 13 of them as part of a ‘combing operation’ launched in and around Minjur. Police claimed the operations were conducted following reports that history-sheeters from Chennai have migrated to the neighbouring district after the police crackdown in the capital. The operation was headed by Superintendent of Police Sibi Chakravarthy. “We apprehended as many as 94 people on suspicion and after verification, 81 of them were released on Sunday morning and 13 with cases pending against them were arrested and remanded in judicial custody. The operation would continue in the coming days and we have coordinated with police officers from other districts,” said a senior police officer.

18-year-old held for snatching the mobile phone
An 18-year old youth was caught by the members of public allegedly when he snatched a cellphone from a motorcyclist and attempted to escape at Jafferkhanpet on Saturday.  Police said the complainant E Moses, a resident of Ashok Nagar, had offered a ride to a young boy at around 10.30 pm. “But as the bike was moving, the boy snatched the phone and took to heels. Moses and others chased and caught the robber,” said an officer.

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