Krishnagar, March 27: A Class I boy fainted after being caned by his headmaster yesterday.

Chhotu Majhi, 6, was rushed to the Haringhata rural hospital, from where he was discharged this morning.

Dukhiram Roy, the headmaster of Mahadebpur Primary School in Haringhata, about 45km from Calcutta, said he saw Chhotu sneaking a glance at the answer script of the student sitting next to him while writing his Math test.

“Chhotu kept turning his head. I told him to concentrate on his own paper but he did not listen. After some time, I lost my temper,” Roy said.

The headmaster thrashed the boy with a cane. “But I did not want to cause him any serious injury,” Roy said.

Chhotu’s father Sushil said the headmaster kept hitting his son till he fell unconscious. His classmates raised the alarm and some guardians who were waiting outside rushed in. They sprinkled water on the boy’s face and he regained consciousness.

Chhotu was taken to hospital and put on a saline drip.

Sushil lodged a police complaint and wrote to the block development officer. An inquiry has been ordered.