A 10-year-old boy in Yuncheng county, Heze, Shandong province, died by suicide after allegedly being subjected to repeated corporal punishment by his teacher, prompting police to detain the teacher following public outrage.
The boy, a fourth-grader at Leyuan Primary School, was seen hesitating at the school gate twice on the morning of June 29 before walking to the Songjin River nearby and jumping in. His body was later found in the river.
After reviewing school surveillance footage, his family discovered that his Chinese teacher and form teacher, surnamed Tan, had hit him eight times in just one week. Footage from June 22 and 23 showed Tan slapping the boy's head and face in front of the class, throwing his exercise book and ordering him and the class to stand as punishment. The abuse continued over the following days.
The boy's father said his son was obedient and introverted, and would endure grievances without complaining, which may have contributed to his psychological breakdown.
The case initially drew controversy when the Yuncheng County Public Security Bureau issued a notice on August 9 declining to file a case, stating there was no criminal fact. The family applied for a review, and on September 4 the bureau revoked its decision, stating evidence showed Tan had committed the offence of "abuse of persons under supervision." Tan was formally detained on September 7. The case has been transferred to the procuratorate.
