Teacher brands girl with hot iron for not wearing ‘dupatta’

VIJAYAWADA: In a blood-curdling incident, a Class X student of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) at Kothapally in Nandyal district sustained serious burn injuries after she was allegedly assaulted by her teacher with a hot iron rod.

Reason: the 16-year-old was walking around in the school without wearing a dupatta. While the incident took place on Saturday, it came to light on Monday after the video of the incident  went viral on social media.

On learning about the incident, Mandal Education Officer Sri Ramulu visited the school, which has a strength of around 100 students.Sri Ramulu said the teen was pulled up by her physical education teacher, Pavani, in the playground for not wearing a dupatta.

Following this, the student allegedly went back to her hostel and vented out her anger against the teacher. On learning this, the teacher allegedly confronted her in the hostel room. Irked, the teacher reportedly went to the kitchen, took a hot iron rod used for making rotis and allegedly branded the student on her cheek.

The injured girl was rushed to a government hospital. No action has been taken against the teacher so far. “We have submitted a detailed report to the higher officials. Based on their order, a disciplinary action will be taken against the teacher,” the MEO said. Meanwhile, Kothapally police said a complaint is yet to be lodged in the case.