The child who was brutally beaten up by the Anganwadi worker. Telegraph picture

Balasore, May 4: A five-year-old boy enrolled at a local anganwadi centre was allegedly beaten up by his teacher yesterday for failing to complete his homework. This incident took place even though the state government’s ban on corporal punishment in schools.

“My son had not memorised the timetables taught by the anganwadi teacher. In a fit of rage, she beat up my child mercilessly. He came home crying and told me about the incident. I was shocked to find deep bruises on his back,” Ganeswar Sahu, the child’s father, alleged. Sahu added his son, Dibyaranjan, fondly called Bapunu, was under mental trauma ever since the incident took place and had refused to attend classes.

The victim’s mother has lodged a complaint at the Nilgiri police station here in this connection. Acting on the complaint, police have booked a case against the accused Manjubala Das.

“We have registered a case against Das under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code. We have initiated an inquiry and would follow legal procedures to resolve the case,” said R.N. Mohapatra, inspector-in-charge of the police station.

The boy used to go to the anganwadi centre at Dasasahi, Baligohiri. “Just because he was unable to complete his assignments, the teacher beat him black and blue. She had used a cane to hit him,” said sources in the police. As the news spread like wildfire, residents from nearby villages also landed up at the police station to lodge similar complaints and demanded immediate action against the guilty teacher. “We were taken aback as we were informed about the inhuman behaviour of the teacher. Stringent action should be initiated against him,” said Jagannath Patra, a local resident.

“She should be transferred from the centre and this act of misdemeanour should be recorded in her service book so that she becomes careful while dealing with children in future,” said Bapi Das, another parent.