Patna/Sheikhpura: A government school in Bihar’s Sheikhpura district has come under scrutiny after dozens of girls accused the headmaster of beating them inside a locked classroom, leaving several needing hospital treatment.
According to students, the headteacher allegedly assaulted around 35 girls on Friday after claiming they were not wearing the prescribed school uniform or carrying their bags. More than a dozen students were injured and subsequently taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment.
Parents rushed to the school after hearing of the incident and staged an hours-long protest on the premises, demanding action against the headteacher. Some locals also alleged that intermediaries arrived at the school shortly after the incident in an attempt to pressure families into silence.
One of the injured students, identified under the pseudonym Rani Kumari, said the headteacher became angry after hearing noise from a boys’ group and turned his anger towards the girls. “We hadn’t done anything. Sir locked us in the room and started beating us with a stick. He hit my hands and back. About 35 of us were beaten,” she said from her hospital bed.
Parents alleged the headteacher had locked the students in a room near midday and assaulted them with a stick, prompting screams that drew the attention of nearby residents. Locals helped move the injured girls to the hospital, while police were called to disperse the crowd as tensions escalated.
The headteacher has denied assaulting the students, saying he only instructed them to follow uniform rules and was concerned about departmental action for non-compliance. Sheikhpura’s district education officer, Tanveer Alam, said the allegations were being taken seriously. “The block education officer has been sent to investigate. A report is expected within 24 hours. Strict action will be taken if the allegations are confirmed,” he said.
A similar case was reported a day earlier in Bhagalpur’s Naugachia area, where a sixth-grade girl was allegedly forced to perform more than 200 sit-ups as punishment for talking to a classmate. She collapsed and lost her voice, according to her family, and is now being treated at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital.
