Anganwadi teacher slaps two-year-old in Thiruvananthapuram, suspended

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a shocking incident in the capital, an anganwadi teacher was suspended on Thursday for slapping a two-year-old child at Parambukkonam here. The teacher, Pushpakala S, reportedly slapped the kid on Wednesday. The action was initiated against the teacher after a preliminary investigation, officials from the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department said. The incident came to the parents attention on Wednesday evening when they noticed marks on the childs face, following which she was taken to the Women and Children Hospital at Thycaud. Two cousins of the child, who studied in the same anganwadi, also said that the teacher slapped her, said Praveen, the childs father. The child, who was otherwise very cheerful, seemed a bit low yesterday while coming back from anganwadi, which added to our doubts, he mentioned. The child will hopefully be back in another nearby anganwadi from Friday, a WCD official informed. However, officials said that the teacher refuted the allegations mentioned in the complaint. The department will have a detailed look into the complaint, and decide if further action is needed, they said.