A video, released from an unknown source on Monday, showed the brutal caning of three visually impaired children below 10 years, by the staff of a residential school for the blind in Andhra Pradesh.
The incident reportedly took place on Friday, when school correspondent KV Rao, who himself is visually impaired, ruthlessly started beating the three children for mischief
Principal Srinivas assisted Rao who runs Greenfield Residential School for the Blind in Kakinada district, around 650 km from Hyderabad. According to NDTV, the school has 62 students and is run on charitable funds.
The police has reportedly arrested both Srinivas and Rao, and a case has been registered against them under Section 324 of Indian Penal Code, for causing severe injuries.
The school authorities reportedly said that they do not consider corporal punishment wrong; and rather think that beating brings discipline among children, despite the fact that it has been banned by the Indian government.
Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009 banned corporal punishment - physical punishment, mental harassment and discrimination of any kind - across India. However, corporal punishment still remain widespread across several Indian schools.
A 2010 study, conducted by Plan International development organisation, for the rights of children revealed that more than 65 percent of children have faced corporal punishment. In 2010, the Ministry of Women and Child Development too issued guidelines to ban physical punishment.
Those violating the rules for the first time are entitled to ₹50,000 fine or one year in jail or both, while for repeated attempts the jail terms could be extended to three years with an additional fine of ₹25,000, according to reports.
