JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - A pupil at a Tamil school is said to have suffered an epileptic fit, and trauma, after being beaten by his teacher for complaining about an earlier beating.

R. Dharshan Raj, 9, was allegedly slapped and struck repeatedly on his hand, legs and belly with three rattan sticks bound together.

The teacher was said to have been furious that Darshan's family had lodged a complaint with the headmaster that the teacher had, on June 23, used a wooden ruler to hit the boy on the mouth, causing it to bleed.

The victim's aunt, V. Nyanasaunthry, 29, said she was shocked to see Dharshan shivering with fever and in an epileptic fit after coming home to Taman Bestari Indah, Ulu Tiram, on Thursday.

"I immediately gave him some medication to soothe his fever. I was told that he was beaten by the same teacher who had hit him with the wooden ruler," said Nyanasaunthry, a nurse.
Nyanasaunthry claimed Dharsan's brother R. Kaviarasan, 12, was called by the teacher to witness the beating.

"The teacher even challenged Kaviarasan to tell my family about the matter and said Dharshan was a 'dog' and did not belong in her class."

Nyanasaunthry called up the headmaster that night before meeting the teacher on Friday. She later lodged a police report.

Johor deputy education director Markom Giran said the matter would be investigated thoroughly.