Madrasa student spat on, beaten for stealing Rs. 100-worth watch
A 16-year-old student was severely beaten by his teacher and classmates at Jamia Burhanul Uloom Madrasa in Aurangabad (now Sambhajinagar), Maharashtra, for allegedly stealing a Rs. 100 watch. The distressing incident occurred after the minor student allegedly stole the automatic watch from a nearby shop. The theft was caught on CCTV cameras installed by the shop owner. After learning of the crime, the shop owner alerted the teacher, Maulana Sayyed Omar Ali, who then subjected the student to corporal punishment.
Student made to half-strip, beaten by fellow students
The student was also made to half-strip and subjected to spitting and beatings by his fellow students, allegedly on the orders of the cleric. On February 25, the video of the assault reached the parents of the student. They then filed a police complaint against Omar Ali. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including sections 75 and 87 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
Minors counseled, legal proceedings against cleric
Meanwhile, the minors who took part in the assault were given counseling. In a similar incident last year, a Muslim student at a school in Uttar Pradesh was allegedly beaten by his classmates on the orders of his teacher for failing to memorize a lesson. A viral video showed the pupils alternately slapping their classmate while the teacher encouraged them to "hit him harder."
