Shillong: Social activist Greneth Sangma has lodged a formal complaint against the management of Ascension Secondary School in Dumnikura, South Garo Hills. This action follows allegations that the school barred a student from his mid-term examinations as retaliation for a criminal complaint filed against a staff member.
The dispute began on June 12 when a teacher allegedly assaulted the student, punching him repeatedly in the chest and back. The victim’s father responded by filing an FIR at the Gasuapara Police Station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act. When the student returned to school on Monday to sit for his exams, the principal reportedly blocked his entry, claiming he could not participate due to the ongoing legal case.
Sangma described the school's conduct as a gross constitutional violation and an attempt to pressure the family into dropping the criminal charges. He emphasized that the school's actions violate the Right to Education Act, which forbids holding back or expelling elementary students. Sangma stated, "The teacher intervened not to protect the students, but to perpetrate severe custodial violence."
The activist is calling for the immediate suspension of the accused teacher, arguing that keeping an individual under investigation in contact with students compromises safety protocols. He has warned that if the school does not allow the student to complete his remaining papers, he will escalate the matter to the Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the courts to pursue further charges of conspiracy and harassment.
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