Visva-Bharati urine case: Victim to join new school

The 10-year-old girl who was forced lick her own urine by the warden at Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan will now be admitted to a new school.

The girl's parents have refused Visva-Bharati's plea to send her back despite the university issuing an apology and assuring her parents that the incident would not recur. They have instead decided to admit her to the Bolpur Girls' High School.

The class V student of Karabi Girls' Hostel at the Visva-Bharati University was forced to lick her urine as a punishment for bed wetting by the warden.

The Visva-Bharati University had issued an apology over the shocking punishment and assured the girl's parents that such an incident won't be repeated. The University in its statement said, "The University unequivocally regrets the traumatic experience of a Patha Bhavana student at the hands of the Warden Ms. Uma Poddar (of Karabi hostel). Visva-Bharati has allowed the girl to be a day-boarder, as an exceptional case. The University further assures the parents of the girl (and all other parents of Patha Bhavana children) that such instances will not recur."

The university in its statement requested the parents to send the girl back to the school. "Visva-Bharati requests the girl's parents to send her back to Patha Bhavana. Visva-Bharati has decided to overhaul the entire Warden-Matron system prevailing in its school hostels for years and seek avenues on how to improve the situation, befitting the stature of a Central University of national and international importance," the statement said.

The 10-year-old girl had said that being forced to drink urine was a punishment and not a cure for her bed wetting. She also said she was scared and didn't want to go back to school.

Explaining what happened with her on July 7, the girl said, "The hostel warden came in the morning when I was getting ready for school. She asked me to take the wet blanket out. The blanket was very wet. She sprinkled salt over it and asked me to lick it. There was one Sandhya Mashi with the warden. She held my head and said you have to lick it. I said I won't. I said I won't lick it. I feel disgusted. They said I have to, this is my punishment."