School teacher held for assault

Gangtok, June 17: The teacher of a West Sikkim school who had been accused of physically assaulting students was arrested yesterday evening. Sameer Tamang, 22, a teacher of Denzong Padma Choling Academy in Pelling, was produced in a court in Geyzing today and remanded in judicial custody for 15 days. School director Sonam Yongda was also accused of beating up the students regularly. Police said he was in Delhi and would be arrested once he returns to Sikkim. Tamang is a resident of Darjeeling and had been working as a teacher in the school for the past two months. He was also the hostel warden. On Friday, a volunteer from Canada teaching in the school had lodged a compliant with Gangtok police alleging that Yongda and Tamang assaulted students often. “Police arrested the teacher on Sunday evening. The school’s director is away in New Delhi for some personal work. He would be arrested once he is back,” said the superintendent of police (west), D.B. Giri. The duo have been booked under Sections 336 (endangering life), 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (assault) and 109 (abetment) of the IPC. All are non-bailable offences. Sarah Antwis, 44, claimed she had video recordings of Tamang chasing children with a cane and of a student crying and showing his bruises. “The students are beaten up mercilessly and I would fight for them. I would not mind coming here again and again,” Antwis said from Gangtok. This is her first trip to the country. She had lodged a complaint with Tikjuk police on June 7 and following that, three children were taken for medical tests. “I have the medical report that says there were injury marks and bruises on the bodies of the children,” Antwis said. According to her, Tikjuk police ignored her complaint and she filed another report with Gangtok police last week. A copy of the complaint has also been submitted to the chairperson of the Protection of the Child Rights in Gangtok. “The commission would investigate the matter,” chairperson Manita Pradhan said in Gangtok today. The private school that has Classes from nursery to X is affiliated to the CBSE board.