RAWALPINDI, May 27: Despite ban on physical punishment in government schools, a student was badly beaten by teacher for not following his orders to clean a classroom.

According to details, Arshad Mehmood, a teacher at Municipal Corporation Boys High School, Dhoke Ratta, on Thursday thrashed Zeeshan Aftab, a student of 7th class, with a stick.

However afterwards the teacher made efforts to hush up the incident by tendering an apology to the boy's family and involving the area notables, but the student's uncle refused to pardon him.

On Friday Javed Iqbal, uncle of the student, moved applications against the teacher with the Executive District Officer Education and Ganjmandi police station.

Iqbal told Dawn that when his orphaned nephew came home on Thursday, he was unable to sit on chair. When asked, Zeeshan told his mother about corporal punishment at the hands of teacher for not cleaning the classroom.

When the mother removed his shirt, signs of torture could be witnessed on Zeeshan's body, Iqbal said. “Cleaning classroom is the duty of sweepers but still the teacher badly beat Zeeshan.” He alleged that there were “wounds” on the right leg of his nephew, adding that the matter was also brought into the notice of the school's principal but he did not pay any heed.

But Raja Riaz Kiyani, principal of the school, said he had “immediately issued show cause notice to the teacher and also wrote a letter to EDO for taking action against him.”

Terming it a sad incident, he said he never allowed physical punishment in the school.

Quoting the teacher, the principal said he had only asked two students to pick the wrappers of chips from the classroom. “We never ask students to clean up classrooms. It is the duty of sweepers.”

Raja Kiyani maintained that the teacher did not beat Zeeshan “intentionally”. He said the teacher had asked Zeeshan and another student Uzair to remove “wrappers” but they did not. On this, the teacher asked to become 'murgha' (a painful body posture).

According to the principal, Uzair obeyed but Zeeshan refused, making teacher angry. “He lost temperament and started beating Zeeshan.”

The principal said the teacher would be suspended but added he has admitted his mistake and apologised to the boy's family.