Hot tea was allegedly poured on a class IV student as a punishment for being absent at a government-aided school in north Kolkata.

The parents of the nine-year-old boy have claimed that the hot beverage was poured on him by a sweeper at the instruction of a teacher to punish him for absenteeism.

According to the parents, the boy returned home from school yesterday with burn injuries on the right side of his face and other parts of his body. Stating that the act was deliberate and not an accident, the parents alleged that their son, who was writhing in pain, was hurriedly taken to a state-run hospital by the school authorities without informing them. The school principal remained unavailable for comment.