Punita Singh, mother of Class 3 student Akshay, had filed a complaint with the administration July 22 that the teacher had slapped her son several times and pulled his hair as he could not recite the table of seven. She said that the teacher had also made other classmates of the boy laugh at him.

The incident took place July 18. However, the parents came to know about it July 20 when the boy suddenly broke down while studying at home.

Following the complaint from the child's parents, an enquiry into the case was ordered by the Chandigarh administration July 23.

Accused teacher Reema Talwar said: 'I am not the regular teacher of that class and on that day I was there as a substitute. I had no personal grudge with the boy and I did not slap him. I do not know why he is implicating me in this case.'