Kolkata: A pre-nursery educator at a private school in New Alipore has been arrested after allegedly “assaulting” a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler inside a classroom in the garb of punishing him, causing the child to suffer a leg fracture, police said.According to police, the corporal punishment incident occurred on Friday around 10.20 am. The toddler had recently been enrolled in the pre-nursery section. He was reportedly crying and throwing a tantrum in the classroom, a common behaviour among children of his age.The child’s mother has alleged that the accused teacher, allegedly infuriated by the child’s distress, physically grabbed the toddler and threw the minor to the floor.The severe impact left the child weeping in intense pain and fear. School authorities immediately alerted the family, who rushed the minor to MR Bangur Hospital. Following a medical evaluation, attending doctors confirmed that the child had sustained a severe fracture to the right leg.Distraught by the incident, the child’s mother lodged a formal written complaint with the New Alipore police station. Based on the complaint, police initiated a case under Section 117(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for voluntarily causing grievous hurt, read with Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, which penalises cruelty to a child by a person in charge or control.During the preliminary probe, investigating officers visited the school premises and seized internal closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the classroom. The video evidence reportedly corroborated the sequence of events leading to the assault. Police subsequently arrested the teacher, who was produced before a local court.The matter has also been reported to the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR).The management of the New Alipore school expressed shock over the incident. School authorities confirmed that they are extending full cooperation to the Kolkata Police in their ongoing investigation, while simultaneously initiating an independent internal inquiry into the matter to ascertain how the lapse occurred and to ensure strict corrective measures.“We have arrested the accused educator following verification of the CCTV footage. The investigation is actively progressing to determine the circumstances and exact motive behind such behaviour towards a toddler,” a senior officer of the South division said.
