Kerala headmaster arrested on charges of assaulting student, causing eardrum rupture

M. Ashokan, headmaster of Government Higher Secondary School, Kundamkuzhi in Kasaragod district, Kerala, was arrested on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) on charges of assaulting a Class 10 student, rupturing his eardrum.

The arrest has been made based on the complaints of the parents of the student, who is undergoing medical treatment.

The incident took place on August 11 at the school assembly where the headmaster allegedly noticed the student playing with pebbles, called him to the front and slapped him.

The Bedakam police have registered the case under Section 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act (cruelty to a child).

Probe by child rights panel

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has also initiated an investigation into the incident after visiting the student.

Education Minister V. Sivankutty has also demanded a report on the incident from the District Education Officer.

Earlier, Mr. Ashokan had denied the allegation and claimed that he had only reprimanded the student and had not physically assaulted him.