Clancy D’Silva, a teacher at a government-aided high school, who has been booked by Old Goa police for allegedly assaulting and verbally abusing several students, has applied for anticipatory bail. The court is set to hear the bail plea on Monday, July 7.
According to police, a complaint was lodged at the Old Goa Police Station by parents who alleged that the teacher beat up the students over a petty issue. While most of the students reportedly sustained minor injuries, four were referred to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), one of the parents informed.
The accused teacher was brought to the police station and interrogated on Thursday.
Meanwhile Bailancho Ekvott (BE) , a prominent women’s rights group based in Margao, has strongly condemned the alleged assault of 11 Class IX students by a teacher at a reputed school in St Estevam. In letters addressed to the Education Department and Old Goa Police, the group demanded strict action against the teacher for physically and verbally abusing students in the absence of their regular class teacher.
BE President, Auda Viegas, described the incident as a ‘heinous crime’ by a member of the teaching community. “Corporal punishment is no longer permitted by law. The idea that caning or verbal abuse contributes to learning is both outdated and dangerous,” she said.
Viegas questioned why the class was left unattended, suggesting that systemic negligence also contributed to the situation. She called for a complete overhaul in the recruitment process for teachers, stressing the need for psychological evaluation to ensure they are fit for the profession. “Many of these teachers may have been appointed through influence and lack the basic ability to manage a classroom,” she alleged.
The group also expressed concern that errant teachers are often transferred rather than held accountable, allowing the cycle of abuse to continue. “Transferring them is not a solution. Stern disciplinary action must be taken so that such acts do not recur,” the letter stated.