Rupesh Poddar’s fault was that he left the class in between two periods without informing the monitor. As punishment Rupesh was severely thrashed by the monitor and this proved to be fatal.
It is a case of corporal punishment but of a different nature. The result is the tragic death of 12-year-old Rupesh Poddar and the killer is his own class monitor, three years senior to him by age.
Rupesh’s fault was that he left the class in between two periods without informing the monitor. As punishment Rupesh was severely thrashed by the monitor, which affected his kidney and renal system, and this proved to be fatal. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been filed against the monitor.
Both the victim and the killer were fifth standard students of Sarvodaya Hindi High School. Incidentally the Poddars and the family of the monitor’s were neighbours at Ultadanga, an area at the northern fringes of Kolkata.
The incident took place on July 2, 2010, when the fourth period was in progress. Rupesh went out of the classroom without informing the monitor. When he returned he was threatened by the monitor with dire consequences, which resulted in an altercation. However, the teacher intervened.
However, the monitor harboured a grudge and as soon as the teacher left the class he started beating Rupesh. One of Rupesh’s classmates informed the police that the monitor was quite fierce and did not stop beating even when Rupesh fell off the bench and started screaming in pain. Being junior in age and weaker in physical strength, Rupesh could not defend himself.
Rupesh’s classmates also complained to the police that the monitor, authorised by the school authorities, had a reputation for beating and physically harassing his classmates. Despite several complaints, the school authorities ignored the matter, a police officer said. “We will also investigate the extent of negligence on part of school authorities in the matter,” he said.
Following the severe beating, Rupesh developed a black eye and sores in the kidney region and was later admitted to a local state-run hospital. “However, his condition started deteriorating and his renal system failed. Ultimately, on Thursday night he died at the hospital. The reason of his death was severe kidney damage,” Rupesh’s mother Manju Devi said.
The family of the monitor left the locality fearing a backlash from angry neighbours. Police sources said that the monitor was also notorious in the locality for similar reasons of assaulting kids junior and physically weaker to him.
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