Mattancherry: A play school teacher in Mattancherry has been arrested for allegedly beating a three-and-a-half-year-old boy with a cane after he failed to answer a question. 

The incident happened on Wednesday at a school on Mattancherry Palace Road. Following a complaint from the child's mother, police arrested the teacher, Seethalakshmi (35), an Anavathil native.

The child returned home from the play school with injuries on his back, and his family took him to the hospital, where the staff reported the incident to the authorities. The parents noted that the boy feared to go to school for about a month and they had previously noticed injuries on his body.

Following the complaint, the school authorities dismissed Seethalakshmi, who was working as a temporary staff member at the play school.