Teacher throws kid, 10, off 1st-floor classroom in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A teacher in an MCD-run primary school on Friday morning allegedly attacked a Class V girl with a pair of scissors and chopped her hair before hanging her from the balcony of the first-floor classroom and throwing her down. The 10-year-old victim is stated to be out of danger.
While cops said it wasn't clear what led to the teacher turning violent, sources claimed the child was talking to friends in class when she was attacked. The teacher, Geeta Rani Deshwal, 26, working at Prathmik Vidyalaya in central Delhi's Model Basti, has been arrested and booked for attempt to murder. She also tried to injure another teacher before squatting on the floor and hurling abuses.
The victim, Vandana, who received treatment in hospital, said she was attacked without any provocation. Prior to the attack, the teacher had locked the classroom.
Teacher asked students to break pencils, erasers; attacked colleague too when kids raised alarm
A Class V student of an MCD school, who was present on Friday morning when the teacher attacked a girl-student and threw out off the first-floor classroom, said the teacher had, prior to turning violent, asked them to break their pencils and erasers.
"We reached our class and after all of us had entered, the class teacher shut the door. She then asked us to take out stationery items such as pencils and erasers and told us to break these. Suddenly, she lunged at Vandana and attacked her. Later, she told us, 'Bhaag jao' (run from here). Geeta ma'am then also tried to attack another teacher as everyone started raising an alarm," the student said.
Investigating officials said the teacher, Geeta Deshwal, did not give any answers as to what led to the incident. "We have been asking her why she behaved like this to which she had no response," said the officer.
A mobile video of Deshwal also went viral in which she can be seen sitting on the floor and screaming, 'Long live Geeta Deshwal' even as she hurled abuses.
As per senior police officers, the beat officer at DBG road was informed by a local that a child had been thrown from the first floor by her teacher and that a crowd had gathered. A police team reached the school and brought the situation under control.
Shweta Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) said, "A case for attempt to murder has been registered based on the statement of the eyewitnesses. The teacher is married and had a miscarriage in October last year when she was five months pregnant. Her husband stays in his village Lakariya in Haryana's Jhajjar district and drives a truck from Charkhi Dadri to Bahadurgarh."
Crying in her hospital bed, the victim said, "She hit me with a scissor on my head and then cut my hair too. I was later thrown down." Her mother, Mamta, said, "Is this how a teacher behaves? My daughter could have died. I want the harshest punishment for the teacher. I don't know what exactly happened because I had left for work. I got a call from a neighbour and rushed back". Vandana's mother works as a domestic help while her father works in the fire station at Rani Jhansi Road.
Locals and other parents who too had reached the hospital claimed that this was not the first time the teacher had hit a child. "She had hit my daughter on her legs with a big wooden stick. My daughter told me she did not want to go to school anymore and would rather study at home. Within a month or two, I withdrew her from the school," said Urmila, adding that she hadn't formally lodged a complaint.
Meanwhile, the MCD, which runs the school, has suspended the teacher and will also bear the cost of treatment of the child. An official said, "All necessary tests, including a CT scan, have been done. All the test/scan reports are normal and the child is safe and stable and responding well. The child has been referred to Safdarjung Hospital for further management. The teacher, Geeta Rani was appointed in 2019. A departmental inquiry will be conducted expeditiously. A school inspector has been assigned to visit the school and speak with all concerned."