A deeply disturbing incident has surfaced from Panipat, Haryana, involving a seven-year-old student from a private primary school. The young boy, who is in Class 2, reportedly endured severe physical abuse at the hands of his school bus driver. The driver is alleged to have tied the child’s feet to a window grille, suspending him upside down, all as a brutal ‘punishment’ for supposed misbehavior. Shockingly, the entire horrifying act was captured on video.
This disturbing event, which occurred over a month prior on August 13th, only recently came to light when the boy’s mother unexpectedly discovered the video on Instagram this past Saturday. Recounting her anguish, she shared with The Hindu via phone, “My son was hung upside down and slapped by the bus driver right on school premises for alleged misbehavior. He was terrified and couldn’t bring himself to tell us what happened.”
Upon seeing the video, the distraught mother immediately confronted the driver at his home, accompanied by the school principal and several teachers. However, the driver refused to meet them in person. The mother stated that when she spoke to him on the phone, he claimed he had inflicted the punishment ‘at the principal’s instruction.’
The principal, however, vehemently denied these accusations, asserting that the driver was merely instructed to scold the child for being “naughty.” Furthermore, the principal revealed that the driver had been terminated from his position a month prior, following numerous complaints from other parents regarding his inappropriate conduct with students, including young girls, while on the school bus.
Authorities have since taken swift action, with the police registering a formal case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act. Investigating Officer Sunil Dutt confirmed that the young victim’s statement would be recorded following proper counseling, and a thorough investigation into the entire affair is currently underway.
District Education Officer Rakesh Boora of Panipat assured the public that appropriate measures would be taken against the school administration once the comprehensive investigation is complete, underscoring the seriousness with which these allegations are being treated.