Police have arrested four people, including a teaching couple, who face charges of assaulting inmates at the Divya Jyoti Mentally Challenger Residential School in Navanagar in Bagalkot district.
Police have arrested teacher Akshay Inglekar and his wife Anandi Hindulkar for mercilessly assaulting 16-year-old Deepak Rathad, a mentally challenged boy, at a school in Bagalkot.
His father complained that Askhay assaulted the boy with a belt and a plastic pipe while his wife Anandi threw chilli powder in the boy’s eyes.
The police also took into custody fellow teachers Vitthal and Vishal. The First Information Report (FIR) also names Ravikant Budihal, among others, who have been arrested.
It lists the offenses under the Juvenile Justice Act and the Prevention of Atrocities Against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act and the BNS Act and other Acts.
The event is three months old. But the boy’s parents came to know about the offense after a video surfaced on social media. The boy’s father Ashok Rathod filed the complaint.
A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Sutar inspected the spot and recovered the material used in the attack.
The police also helped officials of the women and child welfare department to take the victim to safety. Police said 11 of the 32 children have been sent to other schools or are back with their parents. The rest will be rehabilitated soon, they said.
Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said she had directed officials to close the school and rehabilitate the children by sending them to other public facilities with the permission of their parents.
She said an inspection by the District Welfare Officer for Persons with Disabilities and the Joint Director of Women and Child Welfare found that the boarding school had not obtained proper permissions.
“Strict legal action will be taken against this,” she added.
Published – 21 Dec 2025 19:36 IST
