VIJAYAWADA: A Class X student fainted after her headmaster thrashed her on Wednesday for taking leave without permission.
The girl from Zilla Parishad High School of Mustabad in Gannavaram mandal of Krishna district was taken to a hospital following the incident, where hospital authorities alerted police about the brutal act of the headmaster who is absconding.
Y Tanuja is a native of Surampalli and the daughter of an agriculture labourer. She did not attend school on Tuesday without prior intimation. On her arrival, the class teacher asked her to obtain permission from headmaster Alapati Venkateswara Rao to attend classes.
Venkateswar Rao had reportedly punched the girl on her head several times and slapped her face. Tanuja fell unconscious and her family members took her to a nearby primary healthcare centre in Mustabad.
On Thursday, the family members of Tanuja accompanied her to the school to seek an explanation from the headmaster for his brutal behaviour.
Even as they were waiting for the headmaster, the girl fell unconcious again and her worried family rushed her to the Pinnamani Hospital for treatment. Hospital authorities have reported the incident to the Gannavaram police who in turn registered a case.
Headmaster Venkataswara Rao is absconding. District Education Officer A Subba Reddy did not respond to phone calls from Express on the action initiated against the headmaster.
The police have launched an investigation and are in search of the headmaster.