Principal thrashes Class 5 girl for losing school key

The Kancheepuram DEO R Krishnan has asked the assistant educational officer to probe the incident.

The victim, E Latika from Puliyarankottai village near Madurantakam, was a Class 5 student at the Panchayat Union Government Elementary School in the village. Sources said that the school has 30 students and only one teacher apart from the principal, Devi (48). Devi reaches the school at 9 am every day. Before she arrives, a few students take the key from a staffer staying nearby and open the school.

On Monday, Latika came to the school earlier and got the key from the school staffer. When walking to the school, she lost the key and couldn’t find it. Devi, who arrived 9 am, saw the students standing out and the school was not cleaned. After she found that Latika had lost the key, she opened the gate with a spare key.

Later, she called Latika and beat her with wooden logs and kicked her. On seeing this, other students began to cry and the villagers rushed to the spot. They admitted Latika to Madurantakam Government Hospital. Latika's father Elango filed a complaint with the Chitamur police.