Just Late By 3 Minutes To School, A Boy Was Made To Sit Alone In A Dark Room And Run Laps

A 10-year-old boy from Thrikkakkara's Cochin Public School was placed in the lime light after he was made to do laps and spend time in a dark room in solitude for being three minutes late to school on August 14. This harsh punishment has drawn protests and raised many questions regarding punishment and students' welfare in schools.

The student of Class 5 had come two minutes late, said reports, and was forced to do two laps of the school campus. School authorities later locked him up in a dark room alone and informed him that he would never be permitted to attend his own class again. The issue turned serious when the school informed his parents that he would no longer be permitted to study in their school. The public uproar followed quickly, with the boy's family members, relatives, and local social workers bringing the issue to wider attention. Student unions such as the Student Federation of India (SFI) and Kerala Students' Union (KSU) organized protests, terming the move a "heinous crime".

The school administration reported eight to ten students, including the boy, were late throughout the day and all of them were asked to jog two laps under a diary rule that latecomers jog three laps. They refuted allegations of isolating the boy in a dark room, stating that he was isolated in a special room with a teacher rather than outside the Principal's office

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty reacted by asking the Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education to carry out a proper probe and report. He questioned the authenticity of rules published in the school diary, again saying that tailoring rules and meting out harsh punishments is not acceptable. The education department has warned that the school's No Objection Certificate (NOC) would be revoked if such incidents continue.

Locals, activists, and parents were concerned to the core about the psychological impact of isolating and intimidating children.“Separating the child from other students, making him wait in a dark room until his parents arrived, and the treatment of both the child and his parents by the school staff and administration are all deeply problematic,” Ashiq, an SFI worker, gave his statement to a news reporter.

The police complaint has been filed by the boy's family at the Thrikkakkara police station. The Deputy Directorate of Education has already visited the school campus and has issued formal warnings to the school against further strict practices.

This incident of student of class 5 being punished harshly has once again fueled the controversy about disciplinary action and children's rights in Indian schools. While Kerala's education department is keeping a watchful eye, parents and society are asking for safer and better treatment of children so that schools are centers of learning, not hotspots of intimidation and bullying.