Teachers or brutes?

The Aziz Brohi Goth area in Karachi's Manghophir witnessed insurmountable cruelty in past days when a madrassa teacher reportedly assaulted a six-year-old student while teaching. According to police reports, the child suffered a fracture skull after being struck with a stick and later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The teacher, however, secured bail and was able to leave police custody. Not only that, but the teacher also attempted to justify the assault by asserting that the child was being mischievous, claims the child's uncle.

The sorry saga reveals an uglier reality of learning institutions across the city and how teachers take advantage of the misguided trust that parents place in other adults. Under the guise of discipline, violence is normalised, excused and even actively defended. When a fractured skull can be brushed aside as a response to "mischief", it becomes clear that the rot lies deep within the structure itself.

Karachi has witnessed similar cases before. In recent years, multiple incidents have emerged where teachers were accused of severe corporal punishment and even sexual assault. Some cases only came to light after videos circulated online or when children were hospitalised with visible injuries. Yet, even acknowledgement remains elusive, let alone accountability.

The SHO Manghopir has declared that efforts will be made to re-arrest the accused teacher, with added charges, including murder. While this development offers a semblance of corrective action, it also underscores how reactive the system remains. Justice appears to move only after irreversible loss and media attention. Re-arresting the accused, though necessary, is not sufficient. It is only through swift conviction that this statement does not risk becoming routine assurance that fails to deter future abuse. The state must prove that this case will not follow the familiar trajectory of outrage, delay and eventual forgetting.