Mandya, (Karnataka)   Deputy Director for Public Instruction Javare Gowda who conducted an inquiry into the case of a headmistress punishing a girl student by making her strip before classmates in her office chamber and then assaulting her with a stick for carrying a cellphone to school, recommended her suspension on Friday.

The incident took place in the Government High School in Gananguru village in Srirangapattana taluk of Mandya district last week. The girl, studying in the 8th standard was allegedly beaten ruthlessly with a stick and asked to strip before her classmates. Headmistress Snehalatha V forced her to remain in that state without clothes for hours.

Javare Gowda said that he had recommended to the Commissioner of the Education Department that the headmistress be suspended for her cruel and indecent behaviour with a school student. Earlier, the Tehsildar and the School Development Management Committee (SDMC) had also recommended disciplinary action against the headmistress, he informed.

"Even I had visited the school on an earlier occasion and warned the headmistress about such behaviour. But since she has continued with it, it has become inevitable to initiate action," he said. Complaints have been filed by the student as well as her parents, he added.

The girl had said that the headmistress was furious after she came to know that she had brought a mobile to class. During lunch hour, the teacher asked the students whether they have brought mobiles to class and to give them to her. The headmistress also warned the girls that if they don't give the mobiles themselves, she would get them stripped and ask the boys to check them.

Later, the headmistress had sent all the boys outside the class and started hitting the victim. The girl said that the headmistress stripped her before her classmates and she was made to sit on the ground.

The girl said that even when she pleaded that she was feeling cold and wanted to drink water, the headmistress did not relent. Finally she was let go in the evening.

The parents of the girl complained to the senior officials in the education department and urged for action against the headmistress.

It is learnt that the headmistress has been infamous for her cruel punishments to students and she had been suspended earlier for punishing students cruelly.