Child tied, hung from tree: HC seeks affidavit from state govt

Raipur: Chhattisgarh high court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of TOI's report regarding a four-year-old LKG student being tied to a rope and hung from a tree for failing to complete his homework in Surajpur district and asked the state government to file an affidavit in this case. Though a PIL in this connection was scheduled to be listed on January 20, 2026, a news report published on Wednesday in The Times of India titled "Child tied to rope, hung from tree over homework" prompted the court to take it up for hearing on the same day. During the hearing, additional advocate general YS Thakur submitted that the concerned authority had already initiated action against the teachers. Following this submission, a division bench of chief justice Ramesh Sinha and justice Bibhu Datta Guru directed the secretary, department of school education, government of Chhattisgarh, to file a personal affidavit by the next date of hearing regarding the entire issue. The case has been listed for the next hearing on December 9. 2025. The incident occurred on Monday at a private school in Narayanpur village. The child was reportedly tied to a rope by two teachers and suspended from a tree inside the school premises. A video of the brutal act subsequently went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage and forcing the education department to launch an urgent inquiry. The teachers were identified as Kajal Sahu and Anuradha Dewangan. A youth standing on a nearby rooftop filmed the entire incident. The teachers allegedly attempted to stop the youth from filming, instead of releasing the child. Locals circulated the video widely, demanding strict action against the guilty. A cluster in-charge was sent for an on-the-spot inspection who conceded that the teachers' actions were "completely wrong" and confirmed that a detailed report has been submitted to senior district officials for deciding the next course of action. The district education officer issued a notice to the school management seeking a reply within two days. While the child was reported safe, his parents and locals were enraged over the issue.