Pune [India], October 14: A teacher and the school administrator of a EuroKids preschool in Pune’s Ghorpadi area have been booked after a complaint alleged that a three-year-four-month-old boy was locked inside a bathroom as punishment for being mischievous. The case has been registered at Mundhwa Police Station, and an investigation is underway.
According to the complaint filed by the child’s 36-year-old mother, who works as a professor at a college in Pune, her son attends nursery at the preschool located on B.T. Kawade Road in Ghorpadi. The incident allegedly took place on September 8, when teacher Manita Bedi reportedly locked the child inside a bathroom because he was being playful.
When the mother questioned the teacher about the incident, Bedi allegedly explained that the child had been kept in the bathroom for some time because no alternative space was available. The explanation prompted further questions from the family about the circumstances in which the young child had been confined.
The complaint further alleges that school administrator Sonali Deshmukh repeatedly refused to show the CCTV footage of the incident despite the mother’s requests. The footage was reportedly shown to the mother on September 21. However, when she sought a recording of it on September 22, she was allegedly informed that the footage had been overwritten.
Following these developments, the mother approached Mundhwa Police Station and submitted a complaint against the teacher and the school administrator. Police subsequently registered a case against both individuals in connection with the alleged treatment of the child and the circumstances surrounding the CCTV footage.
According to the information provided by police, the case has been registered under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Sections 127(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The allegations are under investigation, and the facts of the case will be established through the legal process.
The incident has raised concerns about child safety and supervision in preschool settings. Parents entrust schools with the care of very young children, making appropriate disciplinary practices, transparent communication and the preservation of relevant CCTV records important aspects of safeguarding students.
Police are continuing their investigation into the complaint. Further details are expected to emerge as investigators examine the allegations and the available evidence.
