Chhimi Dema  

Parents of five students involved in beating a student of a school in Thimphu and circulating the video online have spent the week running to the police station and court, requesting to send their sons on bail.

The boys, aged between 14 to 16, were arrested after the video of two boys beating another boy went viral online last Saturday, disturbing many netizens.

With the mid-term examination starting on July 1, parents claimed they are concerned the boys might fail in their examination.

It was learnt police questioned 12 boys involved in the case, but arrested five who are involved directly in the incident that happened at a construction site inside the hospital premise.

According to the parents, Thimphu dzongkhag court officials told them they cannot grant bail to students, as the case is not even registered. “The court officials said they do not have the basis to grant bail,” a parent said.

Another parent said the court told them to acquire a no objection letter from the police stating that the investigation was complete and that the children can be released on bail. “Police said they can’t issue it.”

They alleged police are taking too long to investigate the case.

A parent said they even approached the National Commission for Women and Children but were told officials were helpless because the case was not with them. “I even requested the Prime Minister. The government should be there for these children. They are young and cannot think for themselves.”

Parents claimed the video was filmed two months ago after a boy studying in another school in Thimphu asked a boy to talk to the victim, claiming the victim was bullying him on their journey by bus.

“The boy then took another boy and beat the victim when some friends were watching and a boy who stays in the hospital colony filmed it,” a parent said.

A parent claimed that her son, who has an eye problem, must have stared at the victim on the bus and the victim bothered her son for three days. “That is why he asked his friends to talk to the victim, but he did not tell them to beat him.”

She said if her son had disciplinary issues in the past, then she would not ask for bail. “My son is a simple boy. In fact, all the boys involved in the fight are simple boys.”

A parent said the school management could have called the parents first in the school about the incident and then reported the matter to the police. “By the time they informed us, the case was already reported to the police.”

A mother of a student said that she did not even see the video. “I never expected my son would do something like this.”

The parents said that if schools had strict rules, then the students would fear to misbehave. “We fear that the children after detention would be traumatised and might try to harm themselves.”

Meanwhile, it was learnt police asked the parents to bring the books of the students so that they could make the boys study for their examination.

Edited by Tashi Dema

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