Principal thrashes BSc student with hockey stick

LUCKNOW: A video of the principal of Rajat Degree College, Pushpa Lata Singh, thrashing a BSc first-year student with a hockey stick went viral on Friday. The college authorities claimed that the principal lost cool after five girl students lodged a complaint of sexual harassment against the boy.

The boy’s family, however, termed the allegations as baseless. No FIR was lodged as the matter was resolved after a compromise between the two parties at Chinhat police station.

In the video, the principal is first seen slapping and later hitting the student with a hockey stick. The incident which took place on Thursday had been recorded by a fellow student.

Defending the principal, college authorities said that the boy had been suspended thrice earlier for harassing girls and indiscipline but there was no improvement in his behaviour. The college also released CCTV footage in which the boy is seen involved in a fight with three boys in classroom. The college also released a voice recording of the student in which he is using abusive language.

“There were complaints of sexual harassment and use of abusive language against the boy. On Thursday he again indulged in indiscipline by beating his classmates after five girls had in the morning complained that he had sexually harassed them. The principal lost cool after the class teacher made two complaints against him on the same day,” said college founder-manager RJ Singh Chauhan.

The college officials went to lodge an FIR against the boy but didn’t proceed when his family requested them to save his career. They were asked to withdraw him from the institution.

The boy’s elder brother Sangam Kumar Singh rubbished the allegations. “He was not involved in any harassment of girls. It was a classroom fight in which other boys were also involved. The principal hit him with a hockey stick on the teacher’s complaint. He is extremely upset for being thrashed in front of entire class and even said he would commit suicide,” he said.

“The college called me to the police station saying they were going to lodge an FIR against him. I agreed for a compromise for the sake of his career and decided to withdraw him to prevent him from being further upset and taking any wrong step,” he added.