“JOR SE MAARO NAA- HIT HIM HARDER” Educates the School Teacher of UP’s Muzaffarnagar

In a widely circulated video, a child has been observed physically assaulting another child belonging to the Muslim community.

The distressing incident from Khubbapur village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh has drawn attention from netizens. In a video, a student is observed slapping another student. The boy being slapped is in tears as he’s struck following the directions of Tripta Tyagi, the Principal of Neha Public School. During this, she can be heard saying, “Kya tum maar rahe ho? Zor se maaro na (Why are you hitting him lightly? Hit him harder).” She also made a comment about “Muhamdan mothers,” though the audio wasn’t clear enough to capture the complete statement. The child faced trouble due to not completing his homework on time.

According to reports, the incident occurred on August 24th, and the video gained viral attention on August 25th, 2023. The video was recorded by the child’s uncle, who was present with the principal when the boy was being slapped.

Following the occurrence, Priyank Kanoongo, the chief of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), posted on Twitter, about the incident involving a student being beaten by other students under a teacher’s instructions. He mentioned that appropriate actions were being taken and urged against sharing the video or participating in the wrongdoing. He also recommended reporting such incidents via email.

The Mansurpur police station, under the supervision of SP (Muzaffarnagar) Satyanarayan Prajapat, has jurisdiction over the case. He also conveyed that in the video, the teacher said that some Mohammedan children go off track when their mothers don’t look after them. The person who recorded the video also confirmed this. Additionally, he clarified that an inquiry has been initiated to investigate the incident of hitting.

Instances of teachers resorting to violence for disciplining children are rooted in a longstanding disciplinary mindset in India. Rather than simply punishing children for their mistakes, educators should focus on educating them on their errors. It is important for policymakers and the government to establish clear guidelines for teacher conduct. Additionally, teachers should be trained in more compassionate and child-centric approaches.