No communal angle in Muzaffarnagar school case, says police

On Friday (August 25), a video of a student being slapped by his classmates, on the instructions of the teacher, went viral on social media. The incident took place at the Neha Public School in Khubbapur village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

As per reports, the incident took place on Thursday (August 24) when a student got his multiplication table wrong. The class teacher, who is a handicapped woman, instructed other kids in the class to slap him. She was identified as Tripta Tyagi, the owner of the Neha Public School.

In a video that went viral on social media, the said student could be seen in tears while other kids slap him one by one. Tyagi was also heard saying, “Kya tum maar rahe ho? Zor se maaro na (Why are you hitting him lightly? Hit him hard).” She had also made a reference to ‘Mohammedan students.’

➡️थानाक्षेत्र मंसूरपुर के ग्राम खुब्बापुर के स्कूल में अध्यापिका द्वारा एक छात्र की कक्षा के अन्य छात्रों से पिटाई कराने तथा धार्मिक टिप्पणी करने के सम्बन्ध में पुलिस अधीक्षक नगर श्री सत्यनारायण प्रजापत महोदय द्वारा दी गई बाईटः- pic.twitter.com/HuqOTLm0hb

— MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE (@muzafarnagarpol) August 25, 2023

The area falls under the jurisdiction of Mansurpur police station. While speaking about the incident, SP (Muzaffarnagar) Satyanarayan Prajapat, informed, “In the video, the teacher said that the Mohammedan children, who are not looked after by their mothers, go astray. This was also confirmed by the man who shot the video.”

After ruling out the communal angle in the case, the police official added that appropriate departmental action will be taken against the accused teacher. Khatauli Circle Officer, Dr Ravi Shankar, said, “We are trying to convince the child’s father to file a complaint; after that we would be able to file an FIR. Further legal action is being taken.”

The child’s father told The Indian Express that he would not send his child to the school on receipt of the refund of the fees. “A settlement has been reached that no complaint would be filed,” he was heard saying.

उत्तरप्रदेश के मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर में एक शिक्षिका द्वारा कक्षा में बच्चे को अन्य बच्चों से पिटवाये जाने की घटना की जानकारी मिली है।
संज्ञान ले कर कार्यवाही हेतु निर्देश जारी किए जा रहे हैं,सभी से निवेदन है कि बच्चे का वीडियो शेयर न करें इस तरह की घटना की जानकारी ईमेल द्वारा दें,बच्चों…

— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) August 25, 2023

Priyank Kanoongo, the Chief of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), said, “In Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, the incident of a teacher getting a child beaten up by other children in the class has been reported.”

“Taking cognisance, instructions are being issued for action. Everyone is requested not to share the video of the child. Give information about such incidents by email. Do not become a part of the crime by revealing the identity of the children,” he emphasised.

It has come to light that the Neha Public School received affiliation in 2019 and conducts classes for students from Std 1-5.