Corporal punishment death: autopsy hints at epilepsy

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Shano Khan, the 11-year-old schoolgirl who died after allegedly being meted out corporal punishment by her teacher, could have suffered an epileptic attack leading to her death, the autopsy report on the girl has hinted, according to Delhi Police Thursday.

'We are trying to corroborate the post-mortem examination report with the chain of sequences and statements of the girl's parents, her teacher and classmates. We will take action accordingly,' said a police officer.

'There was no mention of external injury in the report, which hinted at an epileptic problem as a possible reason for her death,' the officer said, adding that detailed chemical and viscera reports of the girl were still awaited.

The Class 2 girl had fallen ill and slipped into coma Wednesday last week, a day after her teacher Manju allegedly beat her for failing to learn the English alphabets and made her sit out in the searing sun for more than an hour. Shano was a student of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) school in outer Delhi.

The girl was shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital after her condition deteriorated. She died last Friday.

The police are yet to arrest teacher Manju in the case.