Teacher arrested for branding students with camphor

CHENNAI: A teacher who allegedly branded her students with camphor has been suspended and arrested under the Juvenile Justice Act. Vyjantimala, a teacher of a government primary school at Pali, punished eight children by placing burning camphor on their feet for being inattentive in class. The incident only came to light after parents of the students raised slogans in front of the school. School authorities were urged to take strict action for the inhuman act. Chief Educational Officer S Mars suspended the teacher and the school headmaster, also initiating an investigation. When contacted, the headmaster said, "I came to know about the incident only on Friday as I was on leave for the past few days. The teacher Vyjantimala has been working in the school for the past 11 years and this is the first time a complaint of such a grave nature has been made against her."