Kanpur: An 8-year-old child has been subjected to alleged mental harassment by four staff members of a private school in Kanpur after being accused of stealing a pen, according to police reports on Friday. The situation came to light when the boy, a Class 2 student, began showing signs of distress, including writing "Help" in his books and on the walls of his home, and crying in his sleep. His parents filed a complaint, which led to the investigation.
Based on the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed on December 23 against four staff members at the private school located in Sen Paschim Para, Kanpur. The accused include the school’s director, Devraj Singh Rajawat, principal Anuprit Rawal, and teachers Sangeeta Malik and Swatantra Agnihotri, police confirmed.
In the complaint, the boy’s mother claimed that her son was falsely accused of stealing a pen and was mentally harassed as a result. She stated that her son was called to the school on December 12 regarding an incident that allegedly took place on November 28, a day when he was absent from school.
The family observed behavioral changes in their son, such as becoming withdrawn and waking up crying at night, saying, "Ma'am, I didn’t take the pen." He also started writing "Help" in his books and on the walls of their home, the family reported.
The complaint further alleged that the school coerced the child into recording a "confession video" and refused to provide CCTV footage of the incident. Instead, the school pressured the family to pay for the missing pen.
Police have issued notices to the accused staff members, but they have yet to appear at the police station.
“The FIR has been registered, and the investigation is underway,” said Station Officer Pradeep Kumar Singh.