Learning a Lesson!

La Martiniere School Episode:
It’s extremely unfortunate that only 13-year old boy of La Martiniere school, the most prestigious and one of the oldest academic institutions in Kolkata, committed suicide after being caned by the headmaster. It’s argued, quite reasonably, the boy was so traumatized after being caned that he took his own life. The incident occurred 3 days after the caning episode and nothing untoward happened at home in this brief period of time that might lead the boy to commit suicide, claimed the guardian. However, the headmaster admitted to his caning the boy but does not agree that caning is the cause of the boy’s suicide. He’s also promised never to use cane again in future. However, he’s been sued by the boy’s father for abetment of suicide of his son. Case is subjudice, but prima-facie the headmaster is guilty of caning a student, which’s categorically illegal as per supreme court’s verdict prohibiting corporal punishment in academic institutions. It appears caning is a normal practice at this institution as in many other schools, though legally banned. It’s true, the headmaster couldn’t even dream that a student could commit suicide because of caning. But unfortunately it happened. Other academic institutions where meting out physical punishment to students is a regular phenomenon must take lesson from this most shocking episode of La Martiniere School.