Pune Teacher & School Manager Booked For Locking 3-Year-Old Boy In Bathroom

Pune: Mundhwa police have registered a case against a teacher and a school manager for allegedly locking a three-year-old boy inside a bathroom and subjecting him to cruel treatment at a reputed school in Pune's Ghorpadi area. No arrests have been made so far.

The suspects have been identified as Manita Bedi, a teacher, and Sonali Deshmukh, the school manager.

According to the complaint, the incident allegedly took place on Sept 8 between 11.15 am and 2.15 pm at the school on BT Kawade Road in Ghorpadi.

The child's mother approached the police and alleged that the teacher had confined her son inside the school bathroom. Based on her complaint, a case was registered at Mundhwa police station on Oct 11 at 4.56 pm.

Police Sub-Inspector Ranjit Mhaske, the investigating officer, confirmed that the case was registered following the mother's complaint.

CCTV Footage Under Investigation

Police sought closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the school administration to investigate the allegations. Initially, the administration assured the police that the footage would be provided. However, it later informed the authorities that the footage could not be made available, Mhaske said.

Police plan to seize the school's digital video recorder (DVR) on Tuesday and send it for forensic examination. If relevant evidence is found during the examination, additional charges may be added, the investigating officer said.

A case has been registered under Sections 127(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which deals with cruelty to a child.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Mundhwa Senior Police Inspector Smita Dhanraj Vasnik said the exact reason for the incident was not yet clear.

"The child was being playful, and he was kept in the bathroom for just a minute or two as a disciplinary measure. However, the parents objected to even this brief confinement, following which a police case was registered. Furthermore, the matter is under investigation," Vasnik said.