Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sep 6: After the recent allegation of ill-treatment meted out to juniors by senior students of the Sher VKV in Papum Pare district, a similar complaint has now emerged from the VKV in Oyan in East Siang district.
In July this year, a junior student left the VKV’s hostel after being repeatedly tortured by the students of Class 10 there. The worried parents had no option but to shift the student to some other school after the VKV’s authorities failed to stop the menace of ill-treatment of their child.
According to the parents, the problem started when in June this year they had gone to pick up their son for a medical checkup.
“I was shocked to see my child’s left eyebrow completely shaved. Worried, I asked him why he had shaved the eyebrow. To my horror, he narrated a shocking ordeal of abuse and torture. It had been inflicted by a student of Class 10. This particular senior apparently physically tortured my son without any valid reason,” the father said.
The worried father spoke to the perpetrator and advised him to desist from ill-treating his junior. The father of the perpetrator reportedly apologized in front of the principal and gave assurance that such things would not be repeated.
After the completion of the medical treatment, in the second week of July, the parents dropped the child back at the VKV. But, within a span of a few days, the son called the father and informed that the harassment and threats had only multiplied.
“One night, when my son was sleeping, some person wrapped a blanket around his head and mercilessly beat him up. He somehow freed himself and saw two people running away, but because of the darkness the attackers could not be identified,” the parent said.
Most of the Class 10 students reportedly threatened and abused him for complaining against them.
The parents repeatedly wrote to the Oyan VKV’s authorities, urging them to take action against the perpetrators. But instead of taking action against them, the authorities shifted the victimized student to a hostel meant for the students of lower classes.
“I have always nurtured my son to never bow down before wrongdoers. But in this case the wrongdoer was not punished and my innocent son was instead shifted to another hostel, sending a wrong message. We are deeply hurt by the failure of the VKV authorities to punish a student who behaves more like a professional goon than a normal student,” the father of the victim said.
The father has appealed to the VKV’s authorities to take action against students who indulge in such acts.
“My son has left, but his friends are still there. I feel pity for them and am worried about their safety. I hope the authorities will take measures to protect them from seniors with a criminal mentality. It is quite possible that these same victims, when they reach Class 9 or 10, might indulge in similar acts out of vengeance. This vicious cycle will continue if the authorities fail to take stringent action. Nip the problem in the bud, before it’s too late,” the father said.
