What happened to Ramu Abhinav, a student at Velammal School

Yet another article from www.corpun.com about the death of student at Velammal School, Chennai

http://www.corpun.com/ins00306.htm

Borneo Bulletin, Brunei, 16 June 2003

Slapped for skipping school on b'day, Indian boy commits suicide

NEW DELHI (dpa) - An Indian student, who skipped school to celebrate his birthday, committed suicide after he was allegedly thrashed by his teacher, a news report said Sunday. Sixteen-year-old P.S. Ramu Abhinav, a class 10 student in the southern city of Madras [aka Chennai], was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his house, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

He left behind a note saying he was killing himself because he "did not want to go to school". A day earlier, Abhinav was allegedly beaten by his math teacher for missing classes. The student had not gone to school because it was his birthday and his parents had planned a celebration, the report said.

The math teacher, Kannappan, has been arrested, following a complaint by the boy's father, the newspaper said.

Corporal punishment continues unchecked in several Indian schools, with many teachers and even the administration believing it is the best form of discipline.

In February, a school student near Madras fell unconscious for about two hours after her botany teacher allegedly pounded her with a hardbound book, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The student, Caroline Daffadil, received no immediate medical attention, continues to have problems with her neck and requires physiotherapy every day, the report said.
Earlier this year, 15 children from a government school near Madras were made to crawl on their knees beneath the scorching sun for talking during class, The Hindu reported.
S.S. Rajagopalan, a relentless campaigner against corporal punishment in schools, told The Hindu, "In their enthusiasm to see that their children do well, parents sometimes force them to stretch beyond capacity. In this process, they do not even take cognisance of the fact that their children are beaten up at school."

Others say the state government's Education Department does not take students' complaints seriously. The southern state of Tamil Nadu, of which Madras is the capital, permits corporal punishment, the report said.

Parents of students in Abhinav's school have formed a committee to make an independent investigation into the incident and will draft a complaint to the state's Human Rights Commission, The Hindu reported.

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