A 10-year-old school boy has died after he was beaten with a rod in front of the entire school by his headmaster over a “minor issue”.
The incident occurred at a private school in the Khyber district in northern Pakistan on Friday during a school assembly.
Khyalmat Khan, who was in year six, died in hospital following the abuse, according to local media.
Police said that Headmaster Waqar Ahmed, who was arrested and remains in police custody, used a stick to hit the young student on multiple areas of the 10-year-old’s body, including the head, neck, face, and back.
The tragic event has sparked outrage among the local community
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Khyber District Police Officer Rai Mazhar Iqbal condemned the violent attack.
In a statement, he said: “Violence against children and women will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
“No one has the right to misuse the noble role of a teacher to commit such brutality.
“A teacher is a spiritual guardian, but this man has dishonoured the sanctity of the profession.”
Parents have now demanded that local authorities impose a ban on corporal punishment at schools
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The tragic event has sparked outrage among the local community.
Parents have now demanded that local authorities impose a ban on corporal punishment at schools.
In 2021, the Pakistani city of Islamabad passed a historic bill banning violence against children.
The move came amid several high-profile cases of children being badly beaten and even killed, in schools, religious institutions and workplaces.
The incident occurred at a private school in the Khyber district in northern Pakistan on Friday during a school assembly
In January 2021, an eight-year-old boy was beaten to death by his teacher for not memorising a lesson.
A year before, a girl, who was the same age, was beaten to death by her employers after she let their pet parrots escape.
She was working as a maid in Islamabad.
