The impish glint in his eyes and the cheeky smile on his face have endeared Rouvanjit Rawla to millions of people who didn’t know him. And yet, a school principal found it in his heart to cane the child – with ‘mild strokes’ that broke the rod – on February 8.
On February 12, the 13-year-old student of La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata, committed suicide. The school became the focal point of debate on corporal punishment.
Though Principal Sunirmal Chakravarthi says the caning should be delinked from the suicide as ‘disciplinary action’ was taken four days before Rouvan’s death, the boy’s family says the Principal had asked to meet them after Rouvan brought stink bombs to class.
Hours later, Rouvan hanged himself.
'Caning has no connection with Rouvanjit suicide' Facebook campaigns for Rouvan have drawn more than 2500 members, most of whom are enraged at the principal and the school. Chakravarthi has refused to take moral responsibility for the suicide. The child’s family says he has made no personal apology either. Another school principal told Sify.com, “What Sunirmal Chakravarthi did cannot be forgiven. It isn’t at all right to first of all cane a child, and to not say he is sorry for what he has done until there was so much media attention to it simply isn’t acceptable for a principal with ethics.” Despite repeated requests, Sunirmal Chakravarthi did not respond to questions via phone or email. While corporal punishment is quite common in lower-rung schools, La Martiniere has been hit by arguably the biggest scandal an exclusive public school has had to face, in its 175th year too. Alumni have called for a thorough investigation, but acknowledge that corporal punishment is far more deep-rooted, widespread and dangerous than it was conceived to be. Outdated philosophy still in vogue? Harbaksh Singh, a former student of St. James, Kolkata, has posted on Rouvan’s Facebook campaign page, “I received the cane in Class 6 just because I didn't do my homework for a month. I realize the (multiple) caning might have helped me do my homework for fear of getting caned again. However it did not instill a love for learning. Corporal punishment [has] not just a negative physical impact (pain). But also a mental anguish is created in the mind of the victim.” The key issue involved in Rouvan’s suicide has found a tangent – is La Martiniere being unfairly criticized? “As a school, there’s absolutely no doubt La Martiniere has always been one of India’s finest,” Arjun Puri, who was School Captain in 2002-2003, told Sify.com, “it’s made me who I am. It’s the people running it today, that have brought disrepute and shame.” Though he remembers teachers who “thought twice before raising their voices”, Arjun admits, “Yes, there were cases of disciplining students, but never the use of brutal force. We were asked to stand outside class, or given a talking to, and occasionally punished or even slapped…but I was NEVER caned or even hit by a ruler.” “And the one or two times I was slapped were faults of my own,” he continues, “I’ve never held it against the teacher. We took it as part of our learning curve. But corporal punishment should NOT exist. And I’m shocked to hear about it, especially associated with my Alma Mater.” Caning of La Martiniere student "callous" Not all alumni have favourable views on the school. An anonymous post on a discussion forum read “To be honest, given what I saw in the school (’80 to ’94), I’m surprised it took this long for such a scandal to emerge. When there’s corruption and dishonesty at the very top of the organization, then it will naturally spread to the rest of the organization.” In a Facebook post, alumnus Sahil Mehta says, “the mere fact that people have been subject to caning and what not by principals in the past doesn't make it right or legal. While I have fond memories of the school, I did witness plenty of horrific incidents, which were clear acts of teachers venting their frustrations at the expense of the students.” But this invited a scathing reply, which said the child should have “taken it like a man” – a phrase that was commonly bandied about up to the seventies and eighties. “Children these days are a lot more sensitive,” says consultant psychiatrist Dr. Mohan Raj, “when we were growing up, we were used to seeing our teachers walk about with canes. We’d even joke about the odd beating. But when a child who isn’t used to any physical hardship encounters it for the first time, the shock is very great.” The heated online debate was silenced when Rouvan’s brother Rukhenjit wrote, “I can never see or talk to my brother ever again. Rouvan was the coolest kid I have ever known. He had an intellect that was far beyond his years. All of you who keep trying to defend La Martiniere, little do you realize that no one is blaming the institution. The point that is being put forward is that we need to weed out those bad elements in the school that are the actual reason for the name of the institution being tarnished.” ‘Psychological abuse is corporal punishment too’ While the case has grabbed headlines given the reputation of the school and the courage of the boy’s family in taking on the institution, there are precedents. Tamil Nadu banned corporal punishment in schools after Class X student Ram Abhinav killed himself. He left behind a note saying a teacher has beaten him in public for skipping school on his birthday. Child psychiatrist Dr. V. Jayanthini says how children react to corporal punishment depends on several variables: (a) the sensitivity of the child (b) the frame of mind the child is in on that particular day (c) whether s/he is punished in public (d) whether there is a history of depression in the family. Reactions can range from playing truant to anxiety and depression to psychotic breakdown to suicide. Psychological abuse counts too, Dr. Jayanthini says, and cites an incident that occurred in a well-known co-ed school outside Chennai. “When a girl student of Class X failed a test, the teacher called her to the front of the class and asked, in Tamil, ‘whom did you sleep with last night, instead of studying?’” In January this year, newspapers reported that Father Frank Fernandes, the principal of a convent school, chopped off a 14-year-old student’s tuft of hair, despite the boy’s parents saying he had to keep it till a religious ceremony was completed. In his research paper ‘Corporal Punishment: Violation of Child Rights in Schools’, Professor Maadabhushi Sridhar from Nalsar University Of Law, Hyderabad, speaks of how students are subjected to humiliating punishment such as balancing in embarrassing positions, having a paper that reads ‘I am a fool’ pinned to their backs, and slapped by a student of the opposite sex. Sometimes, they are not allowed to eat. At others, parents are made to wait outside on hot afternoons to meet the teacher or principal, which could also affect the child deeply. Where Indian laws sanction cruelty In a country that’s a signatory to the UN Convention on Rights of Child, the laws protecting children are woefully vague. Section 88 and 89 of the Indian Penal Code disallow punishment for an “act done in good faith for benefit of the child”. Using these sections, a Madrassa teacher, K.A. Abdul Yahid got away with caning a 10-year-old, who had to be hospitalised, in 2003. The judge cited precedents dating back to 1922. Worse, when Class II student Shannoo Khan died after being hit on the head and made to stand in the sun, her teacher was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as she could not have intended to cause the child’s death. In the past ten years, rural India has seen no less than three cases of a student being blinded in one eye by teachers for offences as trivial as not answering a question correctly. No action has been taken. Dr. Mohan Raj believes it’s a misconception that corporal punishment can be used to discipline a child. He says, “The child believes that if someone makes a mistake, you can hit him. So, you’re sanctioning violence. The best way to correct is to explain why it shouldn’t be done. Don’t withhold privileges, hit them or humiliate them.” According to a study conducted by the NGO Save the Children India with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2007, two out of every three children in India suffer physical abuse from their teachers, despite a Supreme Court ruling in 2000 and guidelines issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in 2007. Priya Subramanian, Media and Communications Manager at Save the Children, says “The Right to Education Act clearly bans corporal punishment. But unfortunately, there’s no clear mention of corporal punishment in the IPC. This is why organisations like ours are saying the Offences Against Children Bill 2006 must be passed.” But the Law ministry is in favour of amendments to the IPC, while the Home ministry wants a separate law for children. Priya stresses on the need to focus on training teachers. “If a teacher doesn’t know the difference between punishing a child and disciplining a child, you’re lost there.” Parents wary of retribution Mrs. Suma Padmanabhan, Principal of Asan Memorial School in Chennai, says, “Though there is no law to prevent corporal punishment, the education department sends directives to all boards – state, CBSE or ICSE – which forward them to affiliated schools. These state categorically that we should not punish the children using violence or any implement. If anyone violates this code in our school, the management has given me the power to take stringent action against the teacher.” She adds that a teacher may be reprimanded, suspended or even dismissed without a reference, depending on the severity of the punishment – if the parent complains. The problem, Dr. Jayanthini says, is that parents may not get to hear about their wards being punished. “Some children are so sensitive they may not want the parents to feel bad because of their behaviour. The parents may be very supportive and understanding. But the child feels guilty and decides to protect the parents.” Parents could also refrain out of fear that teachers may turn vindictive. Asha (name changed on request) says she took a letter from a paediatrician to the principal of her child’s school after a teacher hit her child on the head. A few months later, she had to pull her daughter out of the school. “She was getting depressed,” Asha says, “the teacher started ignoring her. She wouldn’t correct her assignments or exam papers. She didn’t answer her doubts. When I spoke to the principal, she said it’s a government-aided school, and the most she can do is warn the teacher. She can’t have her dismissed. So I had to find another school.” Prankster or delinquent? In a ruling, the Delhi High Court said "Even animals are protected against cruelty. Our children are surely cannot be worse off than animals" and added that there had been instances where children have been “traumatised and beaten in schools causing grave injuries to them on account of their innocent pranks, mistakes and mischief.” Many believe this is what Rouvan went through. Ria Dutta, whose brother was a close friend of Rouvan’s, recalls “he was an amazing kid, so cute…he was always smiling, always so happy. I’ll miss him so much!” La Martiniere bans corporal punishment Next to a video of Rouvan making faces as he sings “Emotional Atyachar” from the movie ‘Dev D’, a friend has posted, “Hey Rawla ..... God wanted some fun company and thats y he called u ... njoy wid him nd wereevr u r jus rock ! ..... we'll miss u rouvanjit .... Best Of Luck nd enjoy ur new abode ....” If his story speeds up long-due legislation against corporal punishment in schools, a child who showed great promise would have achieved something incredible in his short life.
“Rouvan was a proactive, happy, energetic, positive kid. To break a kid like that…I think constant victimisation, abuse, ridicule, humiliation combined with beating…everyone has elasticity, right…? But at some point of time it snaps,” said his father Ajay Rawla, speaking to the media after he filed a case against Chakravarthi and two teachers – Partha Dutta and L G Gunion.
While parents believe their children are receiving an elite education, the ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ philosophy clearly has fans.
But should corporal punishment be part of the learning curve? How much misinterpretation and abuse can this perspective lead to?
Video: Allahabad teachers chop off 60 students' hair
Ajay Rawla, whose Facebook profile picture has Rouvan pouncing on him in happier times, says it would give his family a sense of closure to know that no other family will have to suffer like them.
