Mizoram: Female teacher sent the girl student home half-naked; got arrested

A female teacher who allegedly stripped off a six-year-old girl's school uniform has been suspended from work today. She was arrested last Saturday (27 August) after the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) Office lodged an FIR in the police station, saying it is clearly a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act under the Indian Constitution.

The Incident occurred in Lunglei District of  Mizoram on 25th August. The Lady teacher named Lalbiakengi has been charged under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015 section 75.

According to District Child Protection Officer, Lunglei District there has been a report under their jurisdiction regarding a school teacher who allegedly stripped off a student of Class-1 and let her go home only with her underwear after a scuffle between the school girl's mother.

Upon investigating the matter, they believed and were convinced that there has been a violation of human rights, especially under Juvenile Justice Act.

So they did what the Child Protection Unit has to do and lodge an FIR in Lunglei Police Station and they are not intervened in the other matter or between the teacher and the girl's mother as they concerned is about child protection.

According to the child’s mother, the scuffle broke out between her and the teacher after her daughter was physically assaulted by a boy at the school on August 22, and again beaten by the same boy on August 25, so, she was angry and she had gone to the school and scolded the boy,  and the school authority is not happy and saying she broke the rules by going to the school and scolding the boy and she was angry and heartbroken as instead of protecting her child, the school authority is accusing her of breaking the school rules for protecting her child. She left with no choice and decided to take home her child.

The school teacher intervened and told her if she had to take the child home, She should leave her uniform behind as there is another student who needed the uniform in front of the whole class, she stripped the child's uniform and let her go with only her underwear, she said.

After the news broke out, The sub-divisional Education Officer under the school education department also issued a strong show cause notice on August 26 to the teacher to explain the incident.

Before explaining the matter to the SDEO, she was arrested under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015 Section 75 last Saturday. 

But the department has given out her suspension order today.

Earlier, Mizoram’s apex students’ body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) demanded the termination of a government school teacher saying she has violated human rights and does not qualify to continue as a teacher.