SAHIWAL: A female teacher of the Government Primary School of 67/EB, Arifwala, was booked for beating a grade three student.

Hira (10) bore multiple stick torture marks on her back. Her brother uploaded a video of the incident on various local social media platforms. The Arifwala Sadar police registered a case against teacher Mumtaz on a complaint from Hira’s brother, Usman Arshad.

Reports said that Hira was subjected to corporal punishment in class for failing to remember a lesson. She was beaten in front of her elder sister, Huraan Fatima.

According to her classmates, Hira fainted and fell down due to the severity of the beating.

Dawn learned from sources, including village elders and family members, that teacher Mumtaz’s family offered an apology to Hira’s family. Later, a video message was uploaded where Hira’s brother and father forgave the teacher.

Sadar DSP Tariq Javed said that the police had to register the case because Hira’s video displaying torture marks went viral. However, no arrests have been made thus far.

PLANTATION: The initiative to plant over 72,000 plants, involving various segments of society, especially school and college students, commenced at Forest Park of Chihawwtni on World Forest Day on Thursday.

Commissioner Shoiab Iqbal inaugurated the campaign by joining 100 students.

Divisional Forest Officer Malik Waseem announced that the plants would be planted across 100 acres of forest within the park.

The commissioner said that trees are crucial in combating global warming as they provide oxygen, shade, rain, and mitigate the effects of heat. He urged the youth to actively participate by planting trees in their own names.

Local journalists, students from both private and public educational institutions, lawyers, and senior citizens participated in the drive, which will continue for the coming week. Over 2,000 plants are expected to be planted daily in the forest park.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024