Months ago in India, a shocking case of school violence sparked public outrage after a 7-year-old student was violently punished for failing to complete homework. According to complaints from parents, the principal of a government school in Panipat, Haryana, allegedly instructed the school bus driver to discipline the child. The driver went as far as hanging the boy from a window and beating him, while the school attempted to cover up the incident. It only came to light after a video of the assault went viral online.
The incident occurred on August 13. Reports from NDTV state that the principal became angry when a student had not completed his homework and complained about it to the driver. The driver then slapped the child repeatedly before suspending him upside down and striking him.
For more than a month, the boy’s parents were kept in the dark. The school never informed them of the punishment, and they only learned of the abuse when the video spread across social media in late September, triggering outrage. The parents immediately filed a police report.
Authorities later arrested both the principal and the driver. The principal admitted to expressing frustration to the driver about the child not doing homework but claimed he never ordered physical punishment. He said he dismissed the driver once the abuse came to light.
The principal also insisted the issue stemmed from “misbehavior by children” and that he had previously spoken with parents about discipline. Local education officials have launched a detailed investigation and promised that anyone guilty of child abuse will face strict legal consequences.
Parents, however, revealed that the school had a troubling history of harsh treatment, with students often forced to clean classrooms and toilets as punishment.
