‘Assault' on Class 11 student: Rights panel directs Jhajjar SP to submit report in 4 weeks
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken a suo-moto cognisance of the incident of alleged physical assault by a Jhajjar private school teacher on a Class 11 student and has directed the superintendent of police (SP) to investigate the matter.
The panel has also directed the SP to submit a report within four weeks and has asked the district education officer to conduct an institutional audit of the school.
As per information, the student sustained a fracture in the arm due to assault and was later admitted to the hospital run by the same educational group. When the family reached the hospital, they were also subjected to intimidation and misconduct by the staff.
Right panel chairperson justice Lalit Batra and other two members— Kuldeep Jain and Deep Bhatia— observed that the facts disclosed suggests serious violations of fundamental and human rights enshrined under the Constitution of India, particularly the right to life and personal liberty under Article 2, which encompasses dignity, mental well-being, and protection from abuse.
'The commission noted that this is not an isolated incident of violence but points to a systemic failure in ensuring student safety and monitoring staff conduct. Reports of intimidation faced by the victim's family further aggravate the seriousness of the matter,' the right panel said, adding such behaviour undermines trust in educational institutions and damages the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship.
The panel also expressed concern over the physical and emotional trauma suffered by the student. 'The commission observed that the incident violates Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which prohibit cruelty and corporal punishment against children. Moreover, it contravenes Articles 19 and 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which call for safeguarding children from all forms of physical or mental violence and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment. The matter demands immediate and thorough investigation to protect the rights of the victim and ensure accountability,' justice Batra said in the order.
Justice Batra also directed the Jhajjar superintendent of police to investigate the matter fairly in a time-bound manner under his own supervision and submit the report within four weeks. Moreover, he also directed the Jhajjar district education officer to conduct an urgent institutional audit of the concerned school.
'The audit will find out whether the educational institute has adopted a child protection policy or not, functioning of grievance redressal mechanisms exist for students and parents or not and whether the internal disciplinary mechanisms for staff misconduct are effectively implemented or not. The next hearing is fixed on July 8,' read the order.
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