Indian Express

9-yr-old who lost vision in one eye due to corporal punishment dies of cancer

Agencies Posted online: Sat Nov 17 2012, 12:44 hrs
Jaipur : A nine-year-old girl, who had lost vision in one eye allegedly due to corporal punishment at a private school two years ago, died due to cancer.

Pia Chaudhary was beaten by her teacher for not completing homework in 2010. She sustained injury in one eye which became critical and the vision in her second eye also affected, family sources said.

Pia died here yesterday due to Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor that develops from nerve tissue.

Pia was operated upon eight times for her eye injury. Efforts were on to save vision in her second eye. However, she later developed Neuroblastoma which spread to her brain and throat.

Dr Lalit Sharma, senior consultant at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital, Jaipur, said she was in her last stage of life.

“She was suffering from Neuroblastoma and was earlier treated in Delhi. The case came to me when the girl was at the last stage of her life due to the disease,” he said.

Two months ago, she was operated for the tumor, Naveen Chaudhary, an uncle of the victim, said.

“She was operated several times but the vision in one eye had been completely lost. Now the pressure was on her second eye and she had to be in hospital for several months in Delhi and Jaipur. She was being treated for the injury and the infection and she died yesterday at a hospital,” family sources said.

Due to the injury, the girl was unable to study properly and had to stay indoors, Choudhary said.

The victim was studying in class I when a teacher of Tagore Public School in Jhunjhunu district allegedly punished her for not completing homework.

“After the last operation, she was taking rest at her home in Jaipur. Yesterday, when she felt uncomfortable and lost consciousness, we took her to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead,” he said.