Case 1: Suicide of Ramu Abhinav: On June 12, 2003, Ramu Abhinav, a 16-year-old tenth class student of Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, committed suicide. He was allegedly driven to the extreme step by the corporal punishment inflicted on him by his mathematics teacher, Kannappan. The victim left behind a suicide note scribbled on a handkerchief saying he was committing suicide as he hated going to the school. Teacher Kannappan allegedly beat up Abhinav as he had missed the special classes on his birthday two days earlier and scored poor marks in the class test in mathematics. The Tamil Nadu Government’s Rule 51 of the state education rules permits corporal punishment in extreme cases.

Case 2: Student beaten to death by Madrasa teacher: On June 19, 2003, Wasim, 14-year-old son of Shaukat, resident of ward no. 2, Sector 12, in Mata Colony of Gaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, was reportedly severely beaten up by the area Madrasa Moulvi (teacher) and died 10 days later. Wasim was a student of Madrasa Jamia Hijjatual Islam, Jannat Masjid, Miza Pur Colony, Vijay Nagar, Gaziabad. Wasim had broken the Rehal (the stand on which the holy Koran is placed) on June 19, 2003. That was provocation enough for the Moulvi and others to beat him...As his condition was serious, he was not allowed to go home for three days. Instead, he was treated at the Madrasa by a quack.

Shaukat, took his son to the quack as he could not afford proper medical treatment. Meanwhile, Moulvis and others connected with the Madrasa started exerting pressure on Shaukat to let bygones be bygones. But Wasim’s mother, Anwari, admitted that her son had died as a result of the beating received in the Madrasa.

Case 3: Children chained by Madrasa in UP: On June 18, 2003, 12 year old Rizwan, a student of a Faiz-e-am Madrasa at Chandpur under Kotwali Dehat, in Bulandshahr, UP was rescued by the police after a local newspaper reported about the student being kept in chains.

On June 15, 2003, three students — Arshad (8) son of Mohammad Din, a resident of Lisari Gate, Meerut, Iqram (10), son of Shah Zamal, a resident of Saraiya village under Buhari police station of Gonda district and Asif (7), son of Raees, a resident of Shastri Park in Bulandshahr — fled allegedly fed up with the coercive tactics employed by the cleric of the Madrasa. The local police apprehended them and handed them back to the Moulvi of the Madrasa.

The children are thrashed over petty issues and chained to prevent them from running away. As they are provided free education at the Madrasa, the parents turned a blind eye to these atrocities. The police remain extremely insensitive. In an interview over the incident, the senior superintendent of police, Alok Sharma said, “This is not America where children have their rights. Here it is either the school or the parents who make decisions regarding children. We have handed them over to the Madrasa since their parents want them to be there.”

The city magistrate recorded the statements of the tortured children at the Madrasa where they were under duress.

Case 4: Corporal punishment of Dipendra Dubey: On July 30, 2003, Dipendra Dubey, a class IX student of Lucknow Public School, was allegedly slapped and beaten mercilessly with sticks by four teachers of the school as a punishment. He was punished only because he skipped a class as he was having a stomach ache and had taken shelter in the school canteen. The medical examination of the boy conducted at Rani Lakshmi Bai hospital, Rajajipuram confirmed that the boy had received several injuries due to thrashing.