A government high school in Hyderabad has turned into the scene of a chilling abuse of power, where a class VII student was allegedly subjected to brutal corporal punishment—not by teachers, but by senior students acting on the direct instructions of the school principal.

The incident occurred at Kompally Government High School, where the accused headmaster, Krishna, also holds the influential post of in-charge Mandal Education Officer (MEO) of Dundigal—a role entrusted with protecting students’ rights and welfare. 

According to the complaint, the violence stemmed from a minor suspicion of bicycle tampering at the school’s cycle stand.

On Monday, a teacher identified as Madhu reportedly sent the student, Phanindra Surya, to check the area. While the child was there, another teacher, Chary, allegedly spotted him and assumed he was responsible for stealing bicycle parts and deflating tyres.

Without verifying facts or conducting any inquiry, Surya was allegedly detained and taken straight to the headmaster’s office. What followed has sent shockwaves across the city.

Instead of counselling or investigation, Headmaster Krishna allegedly summoned nine class X students and ordered them to beat the younger boy with a stick, targeting his back as a form of “discipline”. The class VII student reportedly endured the assault silently as seniors carried out the principal’s instructions.

Surya returned home in severe pain, struggling to move. When his father, Shiva Ramakrishna, saw the visible injury marks, he rushed the child to a hospital. The boy is currently undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the alleged thrashing.

Following a formal complaint, police have registered a case. Pet Basheerbagh police inspector K Vijaya Vardhan confirmed to NDTV that charges have been booked under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing injury.

Officials are now probing the roles of Principal Krishna and teachers Madhu and Chary, who were involved at various stages of the incident.

Child rights activists and advocacy groups have termed the episode a grave violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which strictly bans corporal punishment and mental harassment in schools.

Parents and local activists are demanding Krishna’s immediate suspension from both his roles, warning that allowing such an official to remain in office sends a dangerous message. What was meant to be a place of learning, they say, became a site of fear—and a child paid the price.