Caught on CCTV: 3-year-old tied to chair, slapped at Delhi playschool

A three-year-old boy was beaten, tied to a chair for hours and had his ears pulled, causing injuries and swelling, at a playschool in Delhi's Zafarabad.

CCTV footage from the playschool captured the abuse, following which the police registered a case under provisions including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. A maid working at the school has been detained, while the role of other individuals, including a teacher, is being investigated.

The incident came to light on August 18, when the child returned home from school with swollen eyes and ears. He was also vomiting. Concerned about his condition, the family took him to a doctor.

According to the child's father, the boy complained of pain. The doctor subsequently told the family that the child's eardrums were swollen, possibly due to the beating.

"After examining him, the doctor said that both his eardrums were severely swollen. He advised us to get a CBC and a CT scan and said that if the child did not recover within a day or two, we should get him admitted because his condition was very bad.

"The doctor told us that the child had been beaten and that his ears had been continuously pulled, and that this had apparently been happening for several days," the father told India Today TV.

Shocked by the doctor's assessment, the father decided to find out what had happened at the playschool.

He went to the school to inquire about the incident, but the teacher and staff denied having beaten the child. The father then demanded access to the CCTV footage, following which the school authorities allegedly asked him to pay Rs 1,500 for the recordings.

He alleged that the school remained closed for several days before he was finally given access to the footage.

"They said we would have to pay Rs 1,500 and then they would give us access. They initially said they would give us footage from only one camera," he alleged.

The family insisted that footage from all cameras covering the classroom be provided.

When he checked the footage from August 18, he allegedly saw scenes of abuse. The father then checked recordings from August 16 and 17 and said similar incidents could be seen on those days as well.

"When we watched the footage from the 18th, we saw that he had been tied to a chair continuously for about three hours. His hands were left free, but he was tied to the chair with what appeared to be a belt or strap," the father alleged.

According to him, the child remained seated and repeatedly tried to move forward.

"At one point, he went to the teacher and kicked at her, asking her to untie him. The teacher hit him and made him sit back down," he said.

He further alleged that the teacher then held the child's ears, pulled them and slapped him.

"It looked like he was being tortured and beaten on a daily basis," he told India Today TV.

When confronted with the CCTV footage, the teacher and school staff told the boy's father that the child was hyperactive in class. The father, however, denied the claim, saying that the school authorities should have contacted the parents and sent the child home if there was a problem.

He further alleged that the family had regularly been given updates about the child and had been told that everything was normal, with no complaints being raised.

"Every day, you were sending us footage of our child. You were telling us that our child was absolutely fine, that he was eating on time, talking and doing everything normally. We had no idea that he was being continuously tortured," he said.

The family subsequently approached the police, and a case was filed on August 28. The police registered an FIR invoking the Pocso Act and detained the maid in connection with the case. The police are also investigating the role of other people associated with the school, including the teacher.