An eight-year-old madressah (seminary) pupil was beaten to death on Sunday in Bin Qasim Town area of Karachi, allegedly by his teacher, the police said.

Bin Qasim SHO Dhani Bux Marri told Dawn that the deceased Mohammed Hussain had been subjected to corporal punishments by Qari Najmuddin in the past as well, due to which he had run away from the seminary.

The child's parents on Sunday brought him back to the seminary when he tried to flee again, but this time Najmuddin got hold of him and allegedly subjected him to a beating using a stick and another blunt weapon. Police said there were visible signs of torture on the boy's body.

The accused was arrested even though SSP Malir Adeel Hussain Chandio said the victim's parents were reluctant to press charges.

SHO Marri added that the parents even refused to get a post-mortem examination of the dead body done.

But he said the police would lodge a first investigation report against the cleric on behalf of the state even if the family refused to pursue the case legally.

Corporal punishment is prohibited in Sindh, thanks to a law passed by the provincial assembly in February 2017.

The said law gave children protection against punishments to cause pain or discomfort by hitting, smacking, slapping, spanking, kicking, shaking or throwing child, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair or boxing ears or forcing child to stay in uncomfortable positions, burning, scalding or forced ingestion by any person in the family, workplace, in schools, other educational institutions, etc.