School headmistress slaps student for yawning, booked

Thane: The district rural police have registered offences against the headmistress of a school in Thane for allegedly slapping an 11-year-old boy for yawning during the morning assembly prayer, an official said on Tuesday.

The class 6 student apparently yawned during the morning prayer held in the private school, located in the Mira Road area here, on June 22.

The headmistress took strong objection to this and allegedly slapped the boy, Nayanagar's senior police inspector Balaji Pandhare said, quoting a complaint lodged by the student's father. The boy's father also mentioned in his complaint that when he went to the school to enquire why the headmistress had slapped his son, she replied that if children indulge in mischief "we would punish them", Pandhare said.

Based on the complaint, the police on Monday registered offences against the school headmistress under Indian Penal Code section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said.

No arrest has been made so far, the official said. The victim's father further alleged in his complaint that the headmistress had on June 19 also scolded the boy for not carrying some school books and warned that she would beat him, he said.

Out of fear, the boy was not ready to go to school on June 20. But, his father persuaded him to attend his classes and also complained to the school management about the headmistress, the police official said.

An investigation was on into the matter, he added.