Chandigarh, Sept. 14 -- The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of reports about the death of a 16-year-old Class 11 student of Navodaya Vidya Niketan Senior Secondary School in Faridabad and sought detailed factual and action taken reports from authorities.
The student allegedly jumped from the school's third-floor terrace on September 1. Reports also alleged that a teacher had punished the student and made him stand in the sun for several hours. The school administration has denied the allegations.
A Full Bench comprising Justice Lalit Batra, Chairperson, Kuldip Jain, Member (Judicial), and Deep Bhatia, Member, said the allegations were not being treated as established facts and no presumption should be made about anyone's guilt or innocence.
The Commission said the allegations raised serious concerns about children's safety, dignity, mental health and human rights. It observed that physical punishment and mental harassment had no place in educational institutions.
The Commission directed the Faridabad Police Commissioner to report on the FIR registered under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, investigation, statements and circumstances surrounding the death. Police were also asked to preserve and examine CCTV footage from relevant areas and probe the alleged punishment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.