GUWAHATI, July 12 - In yet another reported incident of bullying, a 13-year-old student of Assam Valley School was allegedly beaten up �black and blue� by his seniors inside the campus leading to serious jaw injury of the student although the school authority termed the incident as a �casual game going out of hand�.
Parents of class VII student Namish Ganeriwal of Guwahati have lodged a First Investigation Report (FIR) with the Balipara police station in Sonitpur district after the school authority allegedly tried to downplay the incident.
The FIR was also marked to the Superintendent of Police PP Singh who has assured to take appropriate action in this regard. A case has already been registered in this connection.
�It was on July 6 that I got a call from the school authority that my son has received a minor injury after having an accidental fall. On the very next day, another official from the school rang me to inform that my son has been assaulted in the school for no fault of his. He was even taken to the hospital,� Mrinal Ganeriwal, father of the victim student said.
�We immediately rushed to the school and after getting necessary permission, we met our son on July 8. We were taken back after seeing my son�s swollen face and multiple stitches on his chin and a fractured jaw. We wonder why our son was not given expert medical attention by the school authorities. We were told that the injury was minor and that it will heal naturally within a month,� the aggrieved father rued.
�Later did we come to know that my son was assaulted by senior students who tried �neck lock� stunt on my son as is practised in a WWE game. In fact, he lost his consciousness twice in the last one week due to such inhuman torture meted out to him. The deputy head of the school assured that action will be taken against the senior students. However, the head of the school did not feel the necessity to explain the circumstances leading to the incident to us,� Ganeriwal said.
�On reaching Guwahati, we got our son examined by doctors who suggested a jaw surgery meaning that the injury was not at all a minor one. We consider it as a gross negligence on the part of the school authorities. My son continues to be in a state of trauma,� he pointed out.
�We demand an inquiry into the incident so that such incidents do not recur and no other student is made to face such trauma in the future. The responsibility has to be fixed,� Ganeriwal stated in his FIR.
A statement by Assam Valley School, however, clarified that the boys in question have been friends for over a year and usually engage in friendly jokes and mischief.
�On July 6 evening, one of them being influenced by watching WWF tried a neck-lock and even though Namish was told to tap the hand if he feels uncomfortable, the pressure exerted was high leading to him falling unconscious and in the process getting his jaw injured. This is a case of an innocent game going completely out of hand. Fortunately, the on-duty staff took necessary steps to bring the situation under control,� claimed the school authority.
