Kolkata: For the first time since one of its students killed himself, Kolkata's La Martiniere School for Boys has commented on the tragedy, mainly to say it should not be held responsible.
The school, among the most famous and prestigious in the city, "deeply regrets the loss of a young life" but clarifies that its "silence should not be regarded as an acceptance of the accusations leveled against the school."
Those allegations blame the school for humiliating, torturing and caning 13-year-old Rouvan Rawla four days before he hanged himself at his house on February 12. The charges are being investigated by the Kolkata Police and the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). Members of the Commission told NDTV earlier this week that the Principal of the school, Sunirmal Chakraborty, admitted to caning Rouvan in February. Rouvan's father, Ajay, says that during his questioning, Chakravarthi said that he caned the Class 8 student days before his suicide. "I think constant victimisation, abuse, ridicule, humiliation...combined with beating (led to the suicide)... Rouvan was a proactive, happy, energetic, positive kid. To break a kid like that... everyone has elasticity, right...? But at some point of time it snaps."
The school's statement does not refer to corporal punishment. It does say, in a tone that could ring ominous given the context, "Sometimes children need to be corrected and helped."
Hours before the school shared its comments, the West Bengal government, while also expressing its regret over Rouvan's death, said it cannot intervene in the investigation because the school, governed by the Church of India, belongs in the category of minority institutions.
The state's Education Minister, Partho Dey, said he plans to set up a panel that will deal with issues of corporal punishment. Parents all over West Bengal are likely to be alarmed by his admission that "Corporal punishment is a problem with many schools." However, many experts point out, a candid acceptance of what needs to be urgently corrected is welcome.