Itanagar: In a disturbing incident that sent shockwaves across the state, a viral video emerged on Sunday featuring a child displaying visible bruises while recounting a harrowing encounter with a teacher in Arunachal Pradesh’s Pakke Kessang district.
Further investigation revealed that the child is a student of Patanjali Acharyakulam, in Goloso village of Seijosa, situated inside the mega herbal garden owned by Patanjali Ayurved Limited.
In the now widely circulated video, the students say they were subjected to physical punishment by someone referred to as “Mataji,” accompanied by threats of further beatings if they disclosed the incidents to their parents.
Speaking to EastMojo, Nabam Thomas, the president of the All Pakke Kessang District Students’ Union (APKDSU), disclosed that around 20 students at the school were subjected to physical abuse, leaving them with severe bruises. The alleged perpetrator was identified as Sadhvi Dev Kriti, also known as Mataji, the sole female teacher at the school.
The shocking details include Class I students being beaten for improper prayer chanting, while students in Classes II and III faced punishment for their apparent lack of proficiency in Sanskrit.
Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Mataji hastily left Seijosa within 24 hours of a written complaint filed by one Nabam Bado, a concerned parent. Sources also reported that local police assisted her in crossing the Assam-Arunachal border.
As Acharyakulam School lacks affiliation with the state government, the APKDSU in response to the incident, is working to relocate the affected students to the nearest school, urging the school management to reopen only after obtaining proper affiliation.
The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) has expressed profound distress over the incident.
Commission members, including its member secretary Khoda Rakhi, interacted with the parents and victims of the school on Monday following which it discovered that 20 students from Class I to IV had been subjected to physical abuse on December 07 last.
Following an interaction with the secretary general of the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, which oversees the school, the APSCPCR insisted that termination of the teacher alone was insufficient and demanded immediate arrest and legal action against her.
As the Acharyakulam has not yet been registered as per the mandatory norms of the RTE Act 2009, despite operating since 2019, the Commission has also asked the education department to take strict action against the school management for violating Section 17(1) and 18 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
Gogoi Natung, the child development project officer of the area, stated that a team comprising a legal counsellor and local police officers is actively working on the case, and a comprehensive report is pending.
Senchung Norbu, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Seijosa, said a parent lodged a complaint on December 7, prompting immediate medical examinations of the child.
The police team guarded the school premises overnight, followed by a meeting the next day where the school management agreed to parents’ demands, including the expulsion of the accused teacher and medical treatment for the victims.
An FIR has, meanwhile, been registered at the Seijosa Police Station under IPC sections 342, 323, and the Juvenile Justice Act section 75.
SDPO Norbu explained that police accompanied the accused teacher to the Assam-Arunachal border due to perceived threats to her life.
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Reports of ragging and physical assaults had also surfaced from the Sangay Lhaden Sports Academy (SLSA), Chimpu, earlier this month following the circulation of a video on social media depicting students’ misconduct.
According to student accounts of SLSA, the lone sports school in the school, senior students allegedly subjected juniors to physical assault in the absence of the Hostel Warden, resulting in serious injuries.
The Itanagar police are looking into the incident.
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