Raiganj, Aug. 8: A Class VIII student was slapped in the face leading to damaged eardrums after he allegedly refused to be a witness in favour of one of his teachers.

The incident triggered widespread protests at Vatol, 22km from here, today, and more than 1,000 people demonstrated in front of Vatol Sevagram High School demanding punishment for the three guilty teachers.

Gokul Pramanik had been slapped by them yesterday and on his way home started bleeding from his right ear. An ENT specialist in town, Radheshwar Mahato, has confirmed that the 13-year-old’s eardrum has been damaged.

Today’s agitation ended with the intervention of Congress MLA Chittaranjan Roy, a teacher of the school himself. Roy, who believes that teachers in coeducational institutions have to be tough, has promised and inquiry and punishment for the guilty. He has also said the school would bear Gokul’s medical expenses. Admitting that the teachers had gone overboard this time, Roy said: “It is tough taking classes in a school which has more than 2,000 students of which 50 per cent are girls. But in this case, the teachers were a bit too harsh.”

Roy’s admission comes at a time when the Centre is drafting a law that would force teachers who beat children — and their schools — to pay hefty compensation to the victims. The move is inspired by a survey that revealed 65 per cent of schoolchildren are beaten by their teachers.

According to Gokul, Mohammed Zahirul was taking an English class on August 4 when he hauled up three boys and asked them why they were laughing. “When the boys denied the allegation, he beat them up. On Monday I was asked to meet Zahirul Sir at the teachers’ room. Mohammed Quddus and Abdul Rahman, two other teachers, were with him,” Gokul said.

The three teachers told Gokul that a parents-teachers’ meet would be held at end of this week and that he would be presented as a witness to Saturday’s incident.

“I was being tutored to say that my classmates had really been laughing and that Zahirul Sir had only rebuked them. They became furious when I refused to tell a lie,” Gokul said.

Mohammed Zahirul has denied the charges. “I wonder how a Class VIII boy can make up such stories,” he said. However, Mohammed Idris, the father of a student, said teachers of the school had the ill repute of beating up children even on “minor” issues. Teacher-in-charge Abdul Kuddus was not available.