Baghmara(Meghalaya), June 19: A Catholic school in South Garo Hills is facing mounting allegations after parents said their son was beaten “black and blue” on campus and later barred from exams. The principal is now accused of threatening the activist who flagged the case.
The row involves Ascension Secondary School, Dumnikura. In a letter dated Ramchengga, the 14th June, 2026, the parents of student Bretwil N. Marak wrote to the Child Welfare Committee seeking a thorough enquiry into the assault.
The letter states the boy was brutally beaten within school premises. It says the violence violated basic child rights and caused severe physical and emotional trauma. An FIR was already filed with police to start criminal proceedings.
Given the serious nature of the abuse inside an educational institution, the parents urged the CWC to step in for an independent probe. They also flagged wider concerns about the school environment.
The parents said they learned from sources that the student-teacher relationship at the school is highly strained. They alleged some teachers take classes while smoking and chewing guthka , creating an unhygienic atmosphere for children.
The case escalated after social activist Greneth M. Sangma took up the matter with the school. Principal Father Jaquish B. Sangma allegedly responded with hostility, warning that “action will be taken” against the person “working in front and behind the screen.”
Greneth M. Sangma has written to Rev. Andrew R. Marak, Bishop of Tura Diocese, through the All Garo Hills Catholic Union. He called the language vague, retaliatory, and deeply shocking for a priest, fearing misuse of legal machinery or third-party targeting.
The complaint notes that punching a student violates Section 17(1) of the RTE Act, 2009, which bans all physical punishment. Under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, any person in charge who assaults a child faces mandatory imprisonment.
By blocking the student from exams, the school is accused of witness intimidation and secondary harassment of a minor victim. The letter says this denies the child’s fundamental right to education under Article 21A and cites the Meghalaya High Court’s PIL No. 6/2025 ruling against arbitrary exam barriers.
Two immediate demands have been made: admit Bretwil to the exam hall with a special evaluation for missed papers, and suspend the accused teacher Aloysius M. Sangma pending the criminal case.
Copies of the objection have been sent to the SP South Garo Hills, District School Education Officer, IO Gasuapara Police Station, MSCPCR Chairperson, GSU leaders, NGOs, and the media. The complaint warns that failure to restore the student’s exam rights will invite fresh charges for conspiracy, harassment, and denial of education
