Teacher allegedly strips and beats students over missing money in Cooch Behar's School, parents protest

At Bani Niketan Child Education Center in Putimari No. 1 Gram Panchayat, Dinhata, a teacher has been accused of stripping and beating young students after alleging that money was stolen from her wallet. The incident took place on Wednesday morning when Anita Roy Adhikari, the teacher in question, noticed that the chain of her wallet was open and the money, approximately one thousand to fifteen hundred rupees, was missing.

According to reports from the students, the teacher then proceeded to strip the children and conduct a search in an attempt to locate the missing money. The students claim they were beaten after the search, although no money was recovered. Parents, upon learning about the incident, immediately protested outside the school, locking the gates and demanding action against the teacher for her alleged mistreatment of the children.

The teacher, Anita Roy Adhikari, later acknowledged conducting the search with the help of Mid-Day Meal staff and admitted to beating two students. However, she denied the claims of excessive or brutal physical punishment. "After realizing my wallet was missing money, I searched the children but did not use excessive force," she said. She also accused the parents of verbally abusing her and her family at their home, adding that they had threatened her.

In response to the allegations, the Education Officer overseeing child education centers stated that if the teacher's actions were found to be true, they would be considered a severe violation of the Right to Education Act, which safeguards children against physical and mental abuse. An official investigation has been initiated, with authorities looking into the extent of the abuse and potential legal action against those responsible.