Schoolgirl 'left in sun to die'
2009-04-17 14:07
New Delhi - An 11-year-old Indian schoolgirl died after a teacher allegedly made her stand in the baking sun as punishment for not doing her homework, reports said on Friday.
Shanno Khan started bleeding from the nose and fainted after hours in the searing New Delhi heat on Wednesday, and slipped into a coma after being taken to hospital.
She died on Friday, the NDTV news channel reported.
Reports said the teacher and the school principal have been suspended, with police waiting for the autopsy on the girl's body before filing a possible criminal case.
India's Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury said the incident was a "terrible tragedy".
Corporal punishment is banned in India, but children are often physically abused by school authorities and teachers.
- AFP