Teacher arrested

Kathmandu, March 7

A social science teacher of Jadibuti-based Jagriti Academy was arrested today after she allegedly forced 34 students of Grades VI and VII on Thursday to slash their wrists as a punishment for scoring poor marks in a class test.

Sita Laxmi Karmacharya, 32, had allegedly asked 25 students of Grade VI and nine of Grade VII to slash their wrists with blades of pencil sharpeners, according to Inspector Subhadra Lama Waiba of Metropolitan Police Sector, Koteshwor. The school management sacked Karmacharya yesterday after the incident was reported to it. Pictures that went viral on social media show some students with multiple cuts on their wrists.

Karmacharya, who had been teaching in the school for the past 12 years, had threatened students to slash their wrists if they did not score good marks in the internal assessment examination. “Her threat turned out to be real. She asked the students with poor marks to cut their wrists themselves. The students obliged her,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Durga Raj Regmi, head of Metropolitan Police Circle, Baneshwor.

He added, “The teacher said if they did not slash their wrists themselves, she would do so and that might be more painful.”

The class test was of 20 marks. The students, who scored less than 15 marks, were asked to slash their wrists as punishment.

Students who scored less than five marks out of 20 have multiple cuts on their wrists. Students and guardians gathered at the school today after the issue was reported by media outlets. The school later lodged a first information report against the teacher in Koteshwor. Police then summoned Karmacharya and detained her. She was later transferred to Baneshwor police station, where she was taken into custody.

Police today recorded guardians’ statement, besides collecting evidence from the school. Six blades were used to inflict cuts and police collected four of them from dustbins in classrooms.

The school management refused to comment on the matter.

Law bars inflicting physical or mental punishment on children whether at home, school or any other place. Inflicting physical injuries is an offence that carries a fine of up to Rs 50,000 and imprisonment not exceeding a year.