A school teacher has been held on charge of meting out corporal punishment to students. 

According to police, Kulchandra Ghimire, a teacher of Social Studies at Shree Baghbhairab Higher Secondary School, Kaleshwor, had severely caned six children. They have swollen calves and hands. 

Police said irate parents had lodged a complaint against the teacher of the community school which is around 50km from Kathmandu. He was arrested on Saturday.

“We are investigating the case. The teacher is in custody. X-ray reports of the children show there were not broken bones, but all of them have either swollen calf or hand,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Ganesh Prasad Acharya. “Even two days after the incident, the children have marks of beating on their calves and hands.”

The teacher had called the six students, all boys, after finding out they had played truant a day ago (Thursday) and beaten them. 

The parents have said they will not tolerate beating as punishment no matter what the offence is. 

“It is not just physical injury; corporal punishment has a psychological effect on children. My son is worried since the day he was punished. He looks frightened and has forgotten to smile since Friday,” said Amritnath Gautam, one of the parents. He added that he would seek legal remedies as an attempt to end corporal punishment in schools.  

Admitting that both parents and teachers have the responsibility to discipline the children, the parents, however, said using sticks to make children fall in a line is an obsolete method. Police denied the Post’s request to talk to the teacher in custody.