Teacher beats student with cricket bat in Khyber Agency

Girl was assaulted for skipping class

PESHAWAR: A man–who allegedly assaulted a student of class five with a cricket bat and fractured her hand–is still roaming free.

A government schoolteacher in Khyber Agency, Karamat reportedly hit his student, Kasish Masih, and her cousin Salman Masih for skipping class. He broke the 11-year-old girl’s hand.

“Our teacher asked us why we were outside class,” Kasish told The Express Tribune. “He [then] came and started beating us with a cricket bat; he hit everyone else three times, but I was struck eight times on the hand.”



Not only did Karamat reportedly break Kasish’s hand, but he also injured her classmate and cousin Salman Masih.

Kasish’s father Shakeel Masih said the girl’s hand was broken at 9:30am, but the teacher did not tell the family till 11am. “When I reached the school, my daughter was crying in pain,” he said. “We rushed her to the doctor.”

“I don’t know why he assaulted her as being out of class is not enough of a crime to break someone’s hand,” the father said. “We approached tehsil authorities and also registered an FIR against the teacher, but he still roams free despite the fact that a month has passed. All we need is justice.”



He stressed that they too are “citizens of Pakistan and have the right to justice”. He went on to say the “Christian community of Fata wants to get an education, but the discriminatory behaviour of teachers would lead the new generations down the wrong path”.

Shakeel is also chairman of the Christian Awareness and Development Society.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th,  2016.